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Kant and Plato on Lying
No full textThe moral prohibition against lying, as formulated by Kant, remains a subject of significant scholarly debate. Kant’s contemporaries and modern readers alike have found his principle to be perplexing or
inhumane, particularly in extreme cases where telling the truth to a murderer, especially when a friend is
involved, becomes a difficult choice. Such situations have made it challenging to accept Kant’s view. The
purpose of this paper is to undertake a critical analysis of Kant’s views on lying, comparing it with Plato’s concept of “useful lies.” This paper argues that Kant’s objections to lying stem from the fundamental
principles of his moral philosophy, such as duty to oneself, moral autonomy, and personal dignity. After a
thorough examination, it seems that Kant’s arguments hold greater merit than Plato’s notion of the “noble
lie” as a counterpoint to Kant’s views on lying. This is because allowing one exception to lying may lead to
other justifications, such as familial hardship, financial exigencies, or altruistic motives.
Plato’s notion of “useful lies” is founded on the thought that certain types of falsehoods may
be justified if they ultimately serve a greater good. Kant defines a lie merely as “intentionally untrue declarations made to another” (On a Supposed Right to Lie from Love of Humanity 8:426). Unlike Plato, Kant
recognizes no “noble” or “greater good” that may serve as an exception to the universalization of the maxim
of our conduct, which is the necessary condition for conduct to be moral. It is argued that Kant’s objections
to lying stem from the fundamental principles of his moral philosophy, which unconditionally prohibit all
forms of lying, irrespective of their intended purposes. This paper also aims to explore Kant’s understanding
of the relationship between external and internal lies, which can be associated with Plato’s concepts of “lies
in words” and “lies in thought.”
Returning to the much-debated Kantian example of the Murderer at our Doors, Kant argues that
it is not morally permissible to lie to this murderer to help our friend. This prohibition may seem inhumane,
as it requires us to prioritize the absolute moral prohibition against lying over our natural inclination to save
our friend. However, Kant’s prohibition of lying does not entail betraying our friend but betraying the truth.
In hypothetical scenarios, we can help our friend without lying. We can remain silent or use our voice to
alert our friend to the danger they face. This approach can be effective without violating Kant’s prohibition
of lying. Instead, it means finding alternative ways to help them without compromising our moral values.
It is of key importance to comprehend that Kant’s emphasis on veracity and the interdiction of mendacity
does not entail relinquishing our fidelity to friends and cherished ones. Rather, it necessitates discovering
alternative means to aid them while upholding our moral principles.
Kant emphasizes the importance of truth-telling and honesty as the foundation of moral behavior, regardless of the circumstances. While the principle may seem rigid and inflexible, it reflects a profound
concern for the dignity and autonomy of human beings, from which all moral obligations stem. According
to Kant, lying is worse than using oneself as a mere means. Therefore, someone who chooses to lie treats
oneself even less than a mere means. One makes oneself into a kind of nothing, into “a mere deceptive
appearance of a human being,” as Kant says in his Metaphysics of Morals (MM 6: 429). In conclusion, this paper offers a critical discussion of Kant and Plato’s ethical positions on lying,
highlighting the implications of their philosophical views for contemporary debates on the ethics of lying.Naučna konferencija Tri veka Kanta: saznanje, nauka i vrednost, 10–11. decembar 2025. godine Beograd - Saopštenje štampano u izvod
The Image of Serbia in Inverse Nationalism
No full textThis paper describes the normalization of the image of Serbia as a place of primitivism and evil. This is reflected in terms such as “Stinkland” (“Smrdija”), “Serbiatria” (“Srbijatrija”), “Savageland” (“Gedžovanija”), “Chetnikia” (“Četnikija”), “Serbistan” (“Srbistan”), etc. This negative (self-)essentialization may appear to be the result of hyper-radical (self-)criticism. The subject who makes use of such a discourse, however, positions himself as an exception, as someone who is disgusted by the “unworthy other”, in this case the unworthy, often class-wise underprivileged fellow citizen. Such dehumanizing stigmatization becomes part of a cultural pattern through which the middle and lower classes internalize a sense of inferiority. Thanks to the media, this toxic discourse penetrates deep into society and finds fertile ground among aspirational groups who expect the privileges of the middle and upper classes of the West, the privileged center of the global capitalist system. Through dehumanizing stigmatization, the collective identity of Serbian society is deconstructed and subsequently reconstructed. The frequent use of a particular discourse creates linguistic routines that are widely accepted as collective meanings. Embedded in this discourse is the eternal position of inferiority that justifies colonial rule over a barbaric country and its primitive people. The established self-contempt of the compradors reinforces the colonial position
City identity as the basis of participant mobilization – student protests in Serbia 2024/25
No full textNamera teksta je da ispita vezu mesta (grada), identiteta i protesta –
tj. na koji način odnos identiteta i mesta predstavlja osnovu mobilizacije
učesnika studentskih protesta, polazeći od odnosa mesta i identiteta koji
obuhvata: identitet grada i vezanost za grad. Prema Linču osnovni elemen
ti identiteta grada grada su: putanje, orijentiri/obeležja, granice, čvorišta
i oblasti. Navedeno je sadržano i u kategoriji materijalnog simbolizma u
tipologiji urbanog simbolizma Nasa i saradnika. Prema tipologiji, i sami
protesti mogu biti prepoznati kao jedno od obeležja grada, tada oni pri
padaju tipu bihejvioralnog simbolizma. Vezanost za grad se ispituje preko
hijerahije pripadanja, poređenja vezanosti za različite prostorne identitete – lokalni, nacionalni i globalni.
U tekstu se analiziraju elementi identiteta grada koji se koriste u pozi
vima na studentske proteste i transparentima, kao i način na koji se koristi
gradski prostor na protestu – putanje kojima se ide ka orijentirima / plan
protesta. Takođe, hijerarhija pripadanja analiziraće se preko zastupljeno
sti simbola navedenih prostornih nivoa. Analiza se zasniva na vizuelnom
materijalu instagram profila studenata u blokadi posvećenom protestima u
Novom Sadu (1. februar), Kragujevcu (15. februar) i Nišu (1. mart).The intention of the paper is to examine the connection between
place (city), identity and protest – i.e. how the relationship between identity and place represents the basis of the mobilization of student protest
participants, starting from the relationship between place and identity,
which includes: the identity of the city and place attachment. According
to Lynch, the basic elements of an urban identity or a city’s mental image
are paths, landmarks, edges, nodes, and districts. The above is categorised
as material symbolism in Nas’ typology of urban symbolism. According
to the typology, the protests themselves can be recognized as one of the
characteristics of the city, and then they belong to the type of behavioral
symbolism. Place attachment can be examined through the hierarchy of
attachment, a comparison of attachment to different spatial identities – local, national, and global.
The paper analyzes the elements of the city’s identity that are used in
invitations to student protests and banners, as well as how the city space
is used during the protest – the paths taken to landmarks / protest plan
– through Instagram posts. Also, the hierarchy of belonging will be analyzed through the presence of symbols of the mentioned spatial levels. The
analysis is based on visual material from the Instagram profiles of students
in the blockade dedicated to the protests in Novi Sad (February 1), Kragujevac (February 15), and Niš (March 1).Naučna konferencija Studentski protesti 2024/25: BloKADA, ako ne SADA?, Beograd, 22. i 23. novembar 2025., Saopštenje štampano u izvod
Educational support in shifting from the "empty nest" parent concept to the concept of parent "emeritus"
No full textProdužen životni vek, kasnije stupanje u brak, niži natalitet, manji broj dece, produženoostajanje dece kod roditelja, ekonomska i socijalna nestabilnost, viši životni troškovi, uticali su nauviđanje važnosti faze u životnom ciklusu porodice u naučnim krugovima poznate kao faze „praznoggnezda“. Ova faza dobija dodatnu pažnju sticanjem statusa najduže faze u životnom ciklusu porodice.Izazovi savremenog života iznedrili su potrebu za obrazovnom podrškom porodici da razvija svojesnage, ali je obrazovanje za život u porodici i dalje više usmereno na kreiranje programa za sve ranijefaze životnog ciklusa porodice nego na fazu „praznog gnezda“.Cilj ovog teorijsko-empirijskog istraživanja je bio da se ispita odnos između roditeljskeprocene karakteristika porodičnog funkcionisanja u fazi „praznog gnezda“ u kojoj se nalaze i njihoveprocene korisnosti kreiranog programa obrazovne podrške, kao i mogućnost kreiranja modelaobrazovne podrške koji bi preusmerio narativ o roditeljima „praznog gnezda“ ka konceptu roditelja„emeritusa“. Teorijski okvir istraživanja čine sistemski pristup porodici i porodična razvojna teorija.U istraživanju je korišćena deskriptivno-analitička metoda, a od tehnika istraživanja – anketiranje iskaliranje. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da postoji povezanost između ličnih i porodičnihkarakteristika roditelja, roditeljske procene porodičnog funkcionisanja u fazi „praznog gnezda“ iprocene korisnosti kreiranog programa obrazovne podrške.Iako mali, ovo istraživanje daje značajan doprinos razumevanju porodičnog funkcionisanja ufazi „prazno gnezdo“ i ističe mogućnost kreiranja modela obrazovne podrške porodici tokomcelokupnog životnog ciklusa. Mnogi optimistični odgovori ispitanika po pitanju različitih elemenataporodičnog funkcionisanja pokazuju da porodično „gnezdo“ nikada nije prazno i da je vreme dapočnemo roditelje ove životne faze porodice posmatrati kao roditelje „emerituse“.Increased life expectancy, delayed marriage, lower birth rates, having fewer children,prolonged co-residence of children and their parents, economic and social instability, as well as highercosts of living have all contributed to the growing recognition of the importance of the family lifecycle stage known in scientific circles as the "empty nest" stage. This stage has received extraattention after acquiring the status of the longest stage in the family life cycle. The challenges ofmodern life have created the need for educational support aimed at strengthening families, yet familylife education remains focused more on creating programs for all the earlier stages of the family lifecycle than on the "empty nest" stage itself.The aim of this theoretical-empirical research was to examine the relationship between theparents’ assessment of the characteristics of family functioning during the "empty nest" stage andtheir assessment of the usefulness of the created educational support program, as well as thepossibility of creating an educational support model that would shift the narrative around "emptynest" parents towards the concept of "emeritus" parents. The theoretical framework of the research isgrounded in the systemic approach to family and the Family Development Theory. The studyemployed a descriptive-analytical method, utilizing survey and scaling techniques. The findingsindicate a connection between the parents’ personal and family characteristics, their assessment offamily functioning during the "empty nest" stage, and their assessments of the usefulness of thecreated educational support program.Although modest, this study makes a notable contribution to the understanding of family functioningduring the "empty nest" stage and emphasizes the possibility of developing educational supportmodels that encompass the entire family life cycle. Numerous optimistic responses provided by theparticipants regarding various aspects of family functioning suggest that the family "nest" is neverempty, and that it is time to begin viewing parents in this life stage as "emeritus" parents
Ksenija Atanasijević A Tapestry Of Thought Philosophy, Art, Literature, And Feminism
No full textThe texts in this collection are a valuable contribution to understanding the
range of themes the philosopher Ksenija Atanasijević worked on throughout
her fruitful career. Both the breadth of topics and the number of academic
disciplines brought together here clearly reflect the editors' ambitious aim: to
provide a thorough engagement with the intellectual legacy of Ksenija
Atanasijević
The Jester’s Crossing: Mockery and Apotropaism at the Kephissos Bridge
No full textAncient Greek attitudes toward crossing bridges in a ritual setting can be illustrated by a well-known example of traditional mockery on the bridge over the river Kephissos within the Eleusinian ritual complex. Information about this rite can, for the most part, be found in lexica, within definitions of the terms related to these rituals and as an explanation of their derivation from the word γέφυρα. Two closely related episodes from Sulla’s time in Athens indicate that the ritual terms were used in non-religious vocabulary, pointing at somewhat aggressive mockery and jests. Examples from other Graeco-Roman sources show that this behavior could have been associated with apotropaic aischrology. Looking at the conditions in which the rites on the bridge took place and comparing them with other cases of aischrology and ritual dispraise allow us to suppose that the rite on the river Kephissos was a safeguard for participants in the procession from Athens to Eleusis. Other examples of beliefs connected to bridges illustrate their significance as points of transition between worlds or stages of existence. In this sense, the mockery on the Kephissos bridge can be seen as a device of apotropaic dispraise, a way to protect the members of the Eleusinian procession in their vulnerable moments, during the transition from the public to the private part of Eleusinian rituals
Pottery from the Bubanj Archaeological Site: A Study on Provenance and Production Technology
No full textThe paper presents the results of the first provenience study conducted on ceramic ma
terials that belong to different stratigraphy layers on the same archaeological site. The suitable site
was Bubanj, positioned on a high terrace near the Nišava River in the middle of the Niš Plain. The
period from the Early to Late Eneolithic was archaeologically divided into cultural groups associ
ated with these phases: Early Eneolithic, the Bubanj-Hum I group, Middle Eneolithic, the Cher
navoda III-Boleraz-Baden group, and Late Eneolithic, the Cotofeni-Kostolac group. This study
aims to determine similarities/differences in the origin of raw materials (based on compositional
and mineralogical analysis) as well as the production technology (based on firing temperature
assessment). The elemental composition of the ceramics and clay was determined using EDXRF
spectrometry, and the mineral composition and its phases were determined using XRPD analysis,
while FTIR spectrometry results were used for the firing temperature estimation. The analytical
techniques used and mathematical models developed in this study showed that they were efficient
in analyzing materials made of the same/similar raw materials. The usage of local raw and non
local raw materials was confirmed, and the archaeological grouping was confirmed based on the
results. The results substantiate the notion of dynamic social interactions in the period following
the mid-4th millennium calBC. This is evident not only by the distinct stylistic and typological
features of Early Eneolithic ceramics compared to those of the Middle and Late Eneolithic but
also by the technological differences in firing ceramics
Novus Israel: An Outline for a History of the Concept of Divine Election in the Serbian Milieu (13th–16th Centuries)
No full textThe fact that the ancient concept of divine election (in its Judeo-Christian iteration) received a distinct political-theological elaboration in medieval Serbia is well-known and has long been acknowledged by scholars. Indeed, the belief that the secular and spiritual leaders of the Serbs – and through them the broader community – enjoyed a special status in the eyes of the Almighty is so prevalent in the sources that it simply could not go unnoticed. However, despite the fact that medievalists of various profiles have successfully illuminated certain aspects of this complex phenomenon over the past decades, a comprehensive study that would transcend the thematic and/or chronological limitations of previous considerations has yet to be written. Of course, this paper does not aspire to such an ambitious research endeavour. My aim, rather, is to present, through several examples that I consider representative, the range of religious, social, and, above all, political implications that the discourse of divine election had in various historical contexts. The discussion, which is based on the preserved corpus of celebratory texts from the period spanning the 13th to the 16th century, consists of three segments: in the first, I attempt to discern the meaning and function of the idea of chosenness in early Nemanjić hagiography, primarily in the works of hieromonk Domentian; in the second, I examine, through the same lens, the corpus of writings celebrating the memory of Prince Lazar in the years and decades following the Battle of Kosovo; finally, in the third section, I focus on the cult texts dedicated to the Branković despots of Syrmia.Ovaj tekst predstavlja prošireni rezime (na engleskom jeziku) rada "Novus Israel: Nacrt za istoriju ideje o bogoizabranju kod Srba (XIII-XVI vek)" https://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7284
Concepts of Nationalism and Patriotism in Serbian Political Discourse: Medieval, Modern, Contemporary. Proceedings of the Conference held on 30–31 May 2024 at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, edd. S. Marjanović-Dušanić, A. Z. Savić, Belgrade 2025