University of Arts in Belgrade
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A Left „Theocracy" : The Church and the State in Revolutionary Nicaragua
No full textThis paper analyses the antagonism between the established (Ni¬caraguan and global) Catholic Church and the Sandinista movement and government, which was one of the focal points for the ascendancy of a conti¬nental and global liberation theology movement. The paper provides a critical overview of the Nicaraguan liberation theology movement, as well as Sandi¬nista strategies, primarily in relation to the social functions of religion and religious institutions. The central focus of this essay is to identify how the left-theological and Sandinista understanding of the imperatives of the counter¬-hegemonic project, the „historical bloc“ (conceived as a system of political and social networks and alliances) and the „national-popular“strategy contributed to the tentative naissance of a novel state religion and a novel political project: a left-wing „theocratic“ social order. The Nicaraguan experience is useful for focusing the wider discussion about the importance of context-specific nor¬mative judgments about Church-state relations
Problem odnosa države i kapitala u marksističkoj teoriji
No full textTekst nastoji da pruži uvid u neka od osnovnih teoretskih razmatra- nja i problema s kojima se marksistička teorija o državi susrela. U tom smislu, on ne pretenduje da pruži neko gotovo tumačenje odnosa države i kapitala, već da uputi čitaoca u osnovnu argumentaciju najznačajnijih marksističkih pri- stupa i doprinosa marksističke teorije ovom problemu. U prvom delu tekst izdvaja neke od ključnih problema na koje bi materijalistička teorija države trebalo da pokuša da ponudi odgovore, dok je u nastavku iznesen pregled raz- ličitih pristupa datoj temi. Prikazane pristupe i argumentaciju treba uzeti više idealno-tipski i oni treba da posluže čitaocu za upoznavanje s generalnim pravcima i problemima marksističkog pristupa odnosu države i kapitala
Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism in Intellectual Discourse: Peščanik and Nova srpska politička misao
No full textRather than being just abstract notions scholars write about, pa¬triotism and cosmopolitanism are used by social actors in ongoing social life. Whether employed to name “us” and exalt the values of one’s own group, or to name “them” and stigmatize what the opponents stand for, the two terms have long served as potent discursive weapons in the struggle for various kinds of power in Serbia. While they retain some significance to this day, the peak of their intensive and consequential employment in public discourse occurred between 2005 and 2010. In this paper we aim to reconstruct the symbolic battles over the foundations of Serbian political community, based on critical discourse analysis of the discursive material produced by intellectuals and made public via Peščanik and Nova srpska politička misao media outlets
Pleasure in Epicurean and Christian Orthodox conceptions of happiness
No full textThe essay examines the central role that pleasure plays in a wide range of conceptualisations of happiness or ‘good life’, from Epicurean hedonism, to Christian asceticism, to contemporary cases of pastoral and philosophical counselling. Despite the apparent moral chasm between hedonists and ascetics, a look at the practices promoted by Epicurus and the Christian monastic fathers reveals striking similarities. The reason is that, at a fundamental level, both parties agree that one should reject the vulgar pleasures that society glorifies, and develop a refined attitude that seeks the appropriate and natural pleasures, while ignoring the harmful or unnecessary ones. And such an attitude can only be acquired through moral training, either by philosophical instruction and reflection, or by pastoral counselling. We highlight some important parallels regarding the connection between pleasure and happiness, as conceived by Epicureans and monastic fathers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. We begin by discussing elements of Epicureanism that can also be found in its rival philosophical schools and Christianity, mainly the emphasis on forming the right conception of happiness and acting in accordance with it. We then examine the connection between morality and happiness in the Christian Orthodox monasticism. We argue that Christian ascetic ethics not only condone some types of pleasures, but in fact require them as elements of happiness in this life that play an instrumental role for the Christian soteriological dogma. The argument has wider philosophical significance because it shows that pleasure is indeed a fundamental conceptual ingredient of happiness across different normative ethical contexts
Savremeno značenje Vitgenštajnove kasne filozofije
No full textEditor’s Preface
Reč priređivača
The 125th anniversary of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s birth provides the occasion for the texts presented here. These articles, by mainly younger researchers, are a modest contribution to this anniversary. Despite the distance in time, if we judge according to Wittgenstein’s impact on contemporary philosophical production (his works span numerous subjects including questions of the limits of philosophy, the foundations of language and meaning, the problems of necessity, the existence of the external world and the nature of the mind and the self, as well as questions of religion, ethics and the significance of human existence), he is our contemporary and interlocutor maybe more than any other philosopher from the past. Wittgenstein’s thought is a subject of discussion not only in philosophical circles, but in those of the theory of literature, cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies as well.
Wittgenstein’s’ influence on 20th century philosophy is immeasurable and it continues unceasingly into the 21st century. The articles presented here underwrite a continued interest in his philosophy manifested not only in the exegesis and interpretation of his work, but, above all, in scrutinizing the interconnections of Wittgenstein’s thought with relevant endeavours in current philosophy. Ken Shigeta elaborates Kripke’s skeptical argument in rule-following considerations as well as the possibility of its revision, which would make the argument compatible with Wittgenstein’s understanding of the paradox of interpretation. Tamara Dobler surveys the place of Wittgenstein’s understanding of the autonomy of grammar in the dispute between externalism and internalism. Finally, Michael O’Sullivan in his article analyses affiliations and differences between Wittgenstein’s and Quine’s understanding of the relation of language and meaning to the stimulus and the speaker’s environment
Discursive Institutionalism and Institutional Change
No full textThis paper outlines relevant aspects of institutional theory in social sciences and gives a more detailed overview of the New Institutionalist approaches. Moreover, the paper explores Discursive Institutionalism, one of the newest theoretical approaches to institutions, and discusses its application in empirical research. The aim of the article is to bring this innovative theoretical framework closer to the academic community and practitioners who are interested in exploring public debates in interaction with institutions
