Roczniki Filozoficzne

The aim of this article is to point out the conceptual gaps in the Cartesian system as well as to explain the need to fill in those gaps. In author’s opinion, this might contribute to a greater clarity and logical coherence of Descartes’s thought. The Author analyses in detail only two of such terms: methodics and methodology. Both of them have a categorial character, but the first one is more general than the other. Briefly, methodics refers to cognitive, moral, religious and other rules, while methodology refers to those rules which are recommended and applied within the aforementioned areas. The Author also assumes that we have to do with methodics when we prepare ourselves to intellectually enter each of those areas of thought and practical conduct and when we seek those reasons which make our thought and action rational. On the other hand, we have to do with methodology when we are in one of those areas and are heading for—in a rationally planned manner—the goals set in it.

In this paper the main ideas of the social philosophy of Thomas Hobbes are presented, and particularly the motives continued in the later theories of the philosophy of history. There are the following ideas: 1) theory of the egoistic human nature and social and historical importance of such feelings as jealousy, rivalry, ambition and envy; 2) theory of the “simple” relation between structure of the human nature and process of the historical life; 3) theory of the dependence of the moral motivations; 4) thesis about instrumental character of reason. Particularly, the positions of Kant, Nietzsche, Gumplowicz, Witkiewicz, Spengler and Fukuyama are analyzed.

The article presents Descartes’ views on connection between sensible perceptions and adventitious ideas. The author of Meditations worked on this issue for many years and conceived it from different perspectives, therefore the author of the article tries to compare its various depictions presented in his most important works. The analysis is held according to the chronology of works’ origin and this is why the author begins it from physical works, trough metaphysical and concerning human anatomy, to finish with psychological writings. Such a perspective allows presenting how Descartes’ approach to the issue developed from naturalistic to immanent standpoint. And at the same time it enables to indicate that there is irremovable dilemma in his philosophy between described by him physical extensive world and content of mind. And at the same time it enables to indicate the dilemma of his philosophy: the existence of the irremovable gap between physical extensive world and the contents of human mind.

Pierre Chanet (1603-1660) was a Protestant physician and philosopher from La Rochelle. In his research, he dealt with the problem of thinking among animals. He spoke against the tradition represented by Charon and Montaigne, which declared that animals think, decide and posses intellect. He contrasted that with his concept of instinct. He understood the instinct as God's action and defined it as “a direction of the first cause which carries and brings all secondary causes to their end, when they have no rational faculties to do so.” Martin Cureau de la Chambre (1594-1669), who was also a doctor and philosopher, argued with him. He claimed that the intellect is not only the property of humans, but also occurred in animals’ behavior. This article presents the main arguments of the polemic between these two scientists. It also shows the essential difference between them which concerns the phrase “creating.” Chanet understood it as constantly occurring in nature, de la Chambre as once done. According to Chanet, God supports everything which He created by His intellect. In nature, this activity occurs as instinct. In de la Chambre’s view, God doesn’t interfere in such a way.

The article focuses on Chomsky’s interpretation of the philosophy of Descartes as well as on the importance of selected Descartes’s ideas for the theories of language and cognition developed by Chomsky. The main questions concerns the actual influence of Descartes on the theory proposed by Chomsky, especially on the so called Cartesian linguistics. The thesis is advanced that although it is possible to point out several Cartesian ideas that influenced Chomsky’s thought, it cannot be said that this influence was essential to the development of his theory of language and cognition. Descartes played no essential role in the development of the linguistic tradition that continued until the 19th century and that is still visible in the present day linguistics. The term “Cartesian linguistics” does not refer to any coherent body of knowledge concerning language. The alleged representatives of Cartesian linguistics do not share any essential assumptions and thus they cannot be seen as representatives of the same tradition.

The aim of this paper is to suggest how the internal logic and dynamics of the development of Cartesian philosophy can be reconstructed by means of the historical-theoretical analysis of one of the most forgotten lines of reception of Cartesianism, leading through the philosophy of British thinkers minorum gentium: Arthur Collier, John Norris, Richard Burthogge etc. Such analysis of the particular stages of the evolution of post-Cartesian thought—within one intellectual-cultural context, makes it possible to situate Berkeley’s system (considered as a culminating point of the development of post-Cartesian British idealism) in the stream of the widely understood Cartesian thought. At the same time the analysis provides sufficient data to draw some general conclusions regarding the logic of the development of Cartesian-inspired philosophical systems.

John Venn in his Formal Logic (1881) constructed a certain system of syllogistic, which is one of implementations of the idea of the quantification of predicates. An interesting reconstruction of this system was proposed by V.I. Markin (2011). Markin makes use of five primary functors {aa, ai, ia, ii, e}. The elementary expressions SaaP, SaiP, SiaP, SiiP and SeP are respectively read as: all S is all P, all S is some P, some S is all P, some S is some P and no S is any P.Markin gives the axiom system for the system. He also proposes the rules of translation of its formulas into the language of classical syllogistic of ukasiewicz’s axiom system {SaS, SiS, MaP^SaM → SaP, MaP^MiS → SiP} and the rules of reverse translation.This formulation of Venn’s syllogistic can be simplified, including the strong understanding of particular-affirmative sentences (SιP) and by adopting the following notational convention:SφψP / SφP^PψS SφP^PψS / SφψP for φ,ψε{a,ι}.A new axiom system for Venn’s syllogistic is proposed here. The logical relations between Venn’s sylogistic (SV) and the ukasiewicz’s system (SL) are examined. A system (SI) has been formulated with a strong understanding of particular affirmative sentences. The proof that systems SI and SL are equivalent is given.

The aim of this paper is to indicate basic neural and biophysical processes which constitute the phenomenon of conscious brain. The paper includes the computational model of neural modelling fields (NMF), which form mental representations of reality as well as biological concepts regarding the way these brain functions are implemented. The motivation of human and animal activity is also explained. The concepts regarding the emergence of consciousness are discussed, along with the perception of being conscious and the issue of self-awareness. It was demonstrated that the understanding of the phenomenon of consciousness eliminates the antinomy of a teleological and causative character of human nature, which, in turn, concludes the discussion on the duality of the physical or spiritual nature of the matter of which our minds are created. In the first part of this essay limitation of the computational model of recognition through comparison and detection patterns similarities according Perlovsky dynamic logic applied to the NMF is discussed. Further improvement of this concept was demonstrated taking under consideration morphology and biological functions of the neural network of natural brains. Neural synaptic fields can play the role of NMF and crate hierarchical structure of semblions according to Vadakkan hypothesis responsible for major psychical functions. Even deeper level of brain functions analyse hereunder doesn’t explain the consciousness phenomenon. For this goal biochemical and molecular background of these processes is necessary what will be described in following parts of this essay.