Kant and the Problem of Revolution. A Report of the International Conference (Kaliningrad, 9—10 November 2017)

This report presents the features of the organisation and the main ideas of the international scientific conference “‘No Right of Sedition’. Kant and the Problem of Revolution in the 18th—21st Century Philosophy.” The conference was held at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU) in Kaliningrad on November 9—10, 2017 and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The event was organised by the Academia Kantiana — a research unit on comparative studies on Russian and Western philosophy at the IKBFU’s Institute for the Humanities. The reports presented at the conference focused on the analysis of the phenomenon of revolution from Kant to the present day as well as the conceptions of revolution that appeared around the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917. The report summarises all the presentations and discussions that took place at the confe­rence in accordance with the thematic clusters. The conference confirmed that Kant’s ideas on the state and the revolution are still relevant today

Evaluation of the effectiveness of strategies of venture business-processing in a highly risky sector of the economy

The article provides substantiation for an innovative dynamic system in addition to the stationary structure of creating innovations that has been established in the Russian economy. The subject of the research is innovation in the conditions of uncertainty, which is typically the sector with the highest risk that is called «venture industry» in the West. The research focuses on the introduction of the process approach to reproduction of innovative products and services with a proposal for evaluation of the known methodological approach to «quantitative» selection strategies. A concept of the venture business-processing in combinatorial innovation is introduced that combines the classic view on the innovation process and rules of functioning of venture business. The problem of the reproduction of the process of innovation in a closed economic system determines the purpose of the study, showing the formation of additional virtual development infrastructure of high-risk activities of the national economy. A matrix scheme is business processing and the stages of formation of risk capital for innovation activities draw attention to the importance of risk which includes potential customers and strategic customers of innovations. The conceptual effect of the proposed activities will vary from synergy from the merger of research commercialization and development work and of business resources, quality growth of employment of the population by the introduction of new professions by the integration of the different levels of the national economy with foreign investors on an equal footing etc. To assess the dynamic, venture process with an uncertain outcome, classical indicators of investment projects are not enough. In conclusion the author draws attention to the fact that the proposed activities are another way of withdrawal of the Russian economy on a steady process of creating their own innovative products and services, though theoretically but with practical evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to choose the optimal variant of action amid uncertainty in the economy.Теоретическое обоснование инновационной динамической системы в дополнении к сложившейся стационарной структуре создания инноваций в отечественной экономике. Данная система предназначена для стабилизации процесса создания собственных инновационных продуктов и услуг в высокорисковом секторе экономики России. Она позволит интенсифицировать следующие сдвиги в процессах экономики: рост доходов субъектов экономической деятельности; увеличение коммерциализации результатов научно-технической и инновационной деятельности вузов региона; укрепление предпринимательского ресурса областей отечественной экономики при увеличении количества среднего и малого бизнеса; структурное обновление производственных процессов экономики; рост занятости, квалификации кадров, воспроизводства новых профессий, конкурентоспособности и качества продукции отраслей промышленности, входящих в бизнес-процессинг; рост межрегиональной, межобластной, международной инвестиционной интеграции за счет привлечения иностранных инвесторов (в виде венчурного финансового капитала, опыта ведения бизнеса, профессиональных кадров, современных технологий); синергетический эффект от объединения специальных знаний, деловых связей и управленческого опыта участников венчурных проектов, связанных бизнес-деятельностью процессинга. Цель исследования - показать формирование дополнительной виртуальной инфраструктуры развития высокорисковой деятельности отечественной экономики через схему венчурного бизнес-процессинга, матричную схему венчурной бизнес-деятельности и этапы формирования рискового капитала инновационной деятельности. Дальнейшие исследования по текущей проблематике целесообразно проводить на конкретных примерах (например, химико-металлургический бизнес-процессинг северо-западного региона РФ) с выделением определенных потоков венчурных проектов. А также целесообразно автоматизировать выбор оптимальной чистой стратегии и расчет смешанной стратегии для работы с большими массивами данных, создав специализированное программное обеспечение

A Protein Aggregation Based Test for Screening of the Agents Affecting Thermostability of Proteins

To search for agents affecting thermal stability of proteins, a test based on the registration of protein aggregation in the regime of heating with a constant rate was used. The initial parts of the dependences of the light scattering intensity (I) on temperature (T) were analyzed using the following empiric equation: I = Kagg(T−T0)2, where Kagg is the parameter characterizing the initial rate of aggregation and T0 is a temperature at which the initial increase in the light scattering intensity is registered. The aggregation data are interpreted in the frame of the model assuming the formation of the start aggregates at the initial stages of the aggregation process. Parameter T0 corresponds to the moment of the origination of the start aggregates. The applicability of the proposed approach was demonstrated on the examples of thermal aggregation of glycogen phosphorylase b from rabbit skeletal muscles and bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase studied in the presence of agents of different chemical nature. The elaborated approach to the study of protein aggregation may be used for rapid identification of small molecules that interact with protein targets

Kant’s pedagogical thought and current problems of education

Reflection on education has a central place in Kantian anthropology. The human being can only become human through education. In my analysis of Kant’s standpoint, I identify the characteristics of education that underlie Kantian anthropology: the exclusive predisposition of humans to education, the duty of a human to be educated, the communicative nature of education, education as a product and goal of humanity, the continuous development of education plans and education as a tool to improve humanity. In interpreting the latter idea, I reveal the specific optimism and pessimism of Kant’s pedagogical thought. Further, I analyse the key characteristics of education to transfer Kantian ideas to the present context. I also reformulate current problems in education in comparison to, and with the help of, Kantian pedagogical ideas. These issues are the correlation between Kant’s pedagogical anthropologism and the problem of artificial intelligence, the transformation of the teacher-student relationship, extended adolescence, personal growth of the educator, the consequences of education digitalisation, the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet in education, the effect of an information society on education, and the role of the state in education. I conclude that commitment to Kantian principles in contemporary education is nominal rather than substantial and that embracing these principles is complicated by the pervasiveness of modern technology in human life. Overall, Kant’s pedagogical theory is the perfect reference point for an optimistic outlook on education

History of Perspectivism and the Status of Perspectivist Concepts / История перспективизма и статус перспективистских понятий

In recent decades, perspectivism has developed into an epistemological research program claiming its independence. This autonomy stems from Perspectivism’s potential ability to resolve the contradictions between realist and constructivist programs. Perspectivism is based on the idea that the object depends on perspective, which constitutes any subjective attempt to cognize it. Perspectivists reconstruct and explain the factors involved in the formation of perspective, identifying the conditionality of epistemic acts, using concepts such as “position”, “point of view”, “view”, “angle”, “horizon”, “focus”, “picture”, “context”, “aspect”, etc. Although these concepts are part of the perspectivist’s toolkit, their meanings and interrelation have so far been taken for granted and have not yet been critically and comprehensively analyzed. The purpose of this article is to take steps toward clarifying the conceptual basis for defending perspectivism as an epistemological program. Once consistently uncovered and correlated in a conceptual model, Perspectivist concepts can be used as a tool for a detailed analysis of theories, positions, and beliefs. The article begins with a preliminary description of the concept of perspectivism and its brief history as an epistemological program. In particular, the first modern attempts to outline perspectivist epistemology are described in the works of F. Kaulbach (1990), W. Stegmaier (2008), and M. Massimi (2017, 2020). The problem of identifying the special a priori status of perspectivist notions as a strategy for justifying the autonomy of Perspectivism is then posed. A method for demonstrating such a status, based on Kant’s transcendentalism and P. Strawson’s descriptive metaphysics, is then suggested

The Conceptual Basis of Perspectivism / Понятийный базис перспективизма

In recent decades, perspectivism has developed into an independent epistemological research program. Perspectivism is based on the idea of perspective as an attempt to elucidate an object from a multitude of factors. Perspectivists are concerned with reconstructing and explaining these factors, identifying the conditioning of epistemic acts, using concepts such as “position”/“point of view,” “gaze,” “angle of view,” “horizon,” “focus,” “picture,” “relativity,” and “context”. Although these concepts are part of the perspectivist's toolkit, their content and interrelationship have not yet been critically and comprehensively analyzed. The purpose of this article is to clarify the conceptual basis of perspectivism as an epistemological program, which began in the works of F. Kaulbach (1990) and W. Stegmaier (2008). For this purpose, a systematic conceptual analysis will be carried out, a detailed presentation of the logical content of perspectivist notions and their reduction into a single coherent model, which can become the conceptual basis of perspectivism. Perspectivist concepts constitute a “population” or matrix of the concept “epistemic situation”. Being consistently expounded and correlated in a conceptual model, they can be used as a tool for a detailed analysis of epistemic situations and their results (theories, positions, views, etc.). The final part of the article will formulate a number of significant implications of the new programmatic understanding of perspectivism: the status of perspectivist concepts, the distinction of perspectivism from similar epistemological programs, and the challenges for its further development