Kiedy człowiek rodzi potwora? (Arystoteles o rodzeniu się zwierząt)

In this paper I discuss the problem of the borderline between the lack of resemblance to any family member and monstrosity in Aristotle’s Generation of Animals. In book IV both phenomena have been explained as a result of ‘resolution’ or ‘loosening’ of the ‘movements’ in the sperm, whose function is to recreate in the offspring’s body the features of its parents or ancestors. Consequently, sometimes the offspring bears no resemblance to any ancestor, and sometimes ‘it no longer has the appearance of a human being at all’. According to T. V. Upton, both groups are ‘monsters’ of some kind; he names them ‘generic individuals’, assuming that after ‘loosening’ of the movements which carry particular traits, the task of completing the embryo’s development is taken by the movements of universals (genus or species) present in the sperm. In contrast to Upton’s opinion, I try to prove that the movements of particular – although ‘merged’ and changed – still remain active, leading to the final development of any given individual; in the case of a ‘monster’, however, a deformation of the offspring’s whole body or its parts results not only in the lack of resemblance to any representatives of its own species, but also in disability.Przedmiotem artykułu jest zagadnienie granicy pomiędzy narodzinami dziecka niepodobnego do członków swojej rodziny a przyjściem na świat „potwora” . Oba te zjawiska zostały opisane przez Arystotelesa w IV księdze traktatu O rodzeniu się zwierząt (De generatione animalium) jako rezultat słabnięcia „ruchów” kształtujących płód na podobieństwo rodziców i przodków. W artykule polemizuję ze stanowiskiem T. V. Uptona, który do „potworów” zalicza obie wymienione grupy istot i uznaje, że – wobec osłabnięcia „ruchów” przekazujących cechy jednostkowe – za ich kształtowanie odpowiadają „ruchy” powszechników (odpowiednio gatunku i rodzaju). Staram się wykazać, że „ruchy” przekazujące cechy ogólnie nie są w stanie doprowadzić do końca procesu rozwoju embrionu, a za podstawowe kryterium odróżniające człowieka od „potwora” należy uznać deformację powodującą nie tylko zanik podobieństwa do przedstawicieli własnego gatunku, lecz także kalectwo uniemożliwiające spełnianie właściwych dla danego gatunku funkcji

Eros paidikos vs. female love in Plutarch’s Amatorius and Lucian’s Amores

In this paper, I examine the debate between advocates of male and female love in two works dedicated to this subject: Plutarch’s Amatorius (Dialogue on Love) and Lucian’s Amores (Affairs of the Heart). Plutarch, drawing on Platonic tradition, accepts and praises eros paidikos, but he condemns homosexual intercourse as an act of hybris. On the other hand, Plutarch rejects traditional Greek prejudices against women and glorifies marriage as the highest form of human relationship: he argues that conjugal love contains both the lifelong friendship and sexual relations which are a source of mutual kindness, respect and affection. In Lucian’s work the defender of pederasty, portraying it as a spiritual relationship and a mark of advanced cultural evolution, wins the debate; but in the last part of dialogue moral demands of sexual restraint in pederasty are mocked, and sexual pleasure is called “a mediator of friendship”

Friend or Flatterer? A Wife as a Mirror in Plutarch’s ”Advice to the Bride and Groom” (14, 139f–140a)

In chapter 14 of the “Advice to the Bride and Groom” Plutarch recommends a wife should behave like a mirror, faithfully reflecting her husband’s moods and attitudes. In this paper I compare this piece of advice with other mirror-similes which have been related to human beings (as lovers, friends, flatterers, and models to follow) in ancient Greek and Roman literature, especially in Plutarch’s works. I conclude that the ideal Plutarchan wife has been situated, perhaps unintentionally, „between” friend and flatterer, because the mirror-simile in the “Advice…” symbolizes not only the true unity of man and his wife, but also the strict hierarchy amongst them

Prospects for EU-Moldova economic relations

This study analyses the current situation in Moldova and presents scenarios for future economic integration of Moldova with the European Union. It is expected that these findings will be used in the formulation of Moldovan economic policy, particularly while drafting the next framework agreement with the EU.European integration, Moldova, trade, reforms

EROS PAIDIKOS VS. MATRIMONIAL LOVE IN XENOPHON’S SYMPOSIUM AND OECONOMICUS – THE BEGINNING OF THE ANCIENT CONTROVERSY

In Xenophon’s Symposium and Oeconomicus we can observe two ways of manifestation of Eros: eros paidikos (i.e. pederasty) and matrimonial love between man and woman. On the one side, Xenophon describes eros paidikos as a power creating true, lasting and deeply affectionate friendship, which, still, may not include sexual intercourses; on the other, matrimonial love can offer erotic reciprocity and mutual respect, but a man and his wife remain quite different and, in fact, unequal. This picture helps us to understand reasons of the ancient controversy between followers of these two kinds of eros, which remained unsolved for many centuries

Problem nieśmiałych młodzieńców, czyli ‘vitiosa verecundia’

Both Greeks and Romans considered shame an important instrument of moral education. However, while respect for elders and superiors was a desirable trait of young people, it could also turn sometimes into a serious character flaw – excessive compliance with all who made any demands, even the wrong ones. Therefore, shyness was often considered ‘a disease of the soul’ as a feeling that made one feel ashamed to do the right thing. In the article, the concept of vitiosa verecundia is presented on the basis of texts by Seneca, Aristotle, Quintilian, Livy and, above all, Plutarch’s treatise De falso pudore.Both Greeks and Romans considered shame an important instrument of moral education. However, while respect for elders and superiors was a desirable trait of young people, it could also turn sometimes into a serious character flaw – excessive compliance with all who made any demands, even the wrong ones. Therefore, shyness was often considered ‘a disease of the soul’ as a feeling that made one feel ashamed to do the right thing. In the article, the concept of vitiosa verecundia is presented on the basis of texts by Seneca, Aristotle, Quintilian, Livy and, above all, Plutarch’s treatise De falso pudore

Short-term repeated corticosterone administration enhances glutamatergic but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex

It has been demonstrated that stress impairs performance of skilled reaching and walking tasks in rats due to the action of glucocorticoids involved in the stress response. Skilled reaching and walking are controlled by the primary motor cortex (M1); however, it is not known whether stress-related impairments in skilled motor tasks are related to functional and/or structural alterations within the M1. We studied the effects of single and repeated injections of corticosterone (twice daily for 7 days) on spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs) recorded from layer II/III pyramidal neurons in ex vivo slices of the M1, prepared 2 days after the last administration of the hormone. We also measured the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal cells and the protein levels of selected subunits of AMPA, NMDA, and GABAA receptors after repeated corticosterone administration. Repeatedly administered corticosterone induced an increase in the frequency but not in the amplitude of sEPSCs, while a single administration had no effect on the recorded excitatory currents. The frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs as well as the excitability of pyramidal cells were changed neither after single nor after repeated corticosterone administration. Treatment with corticosterone for 7 days did not modify the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons. Corticosterone influenced neither the protein levels of GluA1, GluA2, GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B subunits of glutamate receptors nor those of α1, β2, and γ2 subunits of the GABAA receptor. The increase in sEPSCs frequency induced by repeated corticosterone administration faded out within 7 days. These data indicate that prolonged administration of exogenous corticosterone selectively and reversibly enhances glutamatergic, but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex. Our results suggest that corticosterone treatment results in an enhancement of spontaneous glutamate release from presynaptic terminals in the M1 and thereby uncovers a potential mechanism underlying stress-induced motor functions impairmen

5-HT_{7} receptor modulates GABAergic transmission in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus and controls cortical release of serotonin

The 5-HT7 receptor is one of the several serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtypes that are expressed in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Some earlier findings suggested that 5-HT7 receptors in the DRN were localized on GABAergic interneurons modulating the activity of 5-HT projection neurons. The aim of the present study was to find out how the 5-HT7 receptor modulates the GABAergic synaptic input to putative 5-HT DRN neurons, and whether blockade of the 5-HT7 receptor would affect the release of 5-HT in the target structure. Male Wistar rats with microdialysis probes implanted in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) received injections of the 5-HT7 receptor antagonist (2R)-1-[(3-hydroxyphenyl)sulfonyl]-2-[2-(4-methyl-1-piperidinyl)ethyl]pyrrolidine hydrochloride (SB 269970), which induced an increase in the levels of 5-HT and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the PFC. In another set of experiments whole-cell recordings from presumed projection neurons were carried out using DRN slices. SB 269970 application resulted in depolarization and in an increase in the firing frequency of the cells. In order to activate 5-HT7 receptors, 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) was applied in the presence of N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1piperazinyl]ethyl]-N-2-pyridinylcyclohexanecarboxamide (WAY100635). Hyperpolarization of cells and a decrease in the firing frequency were observed after activation of the 5-HT7 receptor. Blockade of 5-HT7 receptors caused a decrease in the mean frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs), while its activation induced an increase. The mechanism of these effects appears to involve tonically-active 5-HT7 receptors modulating firing and/or GABA release from inhibitory interneurons which regulate the activity of DRN serotonergic projection neurons