Потаённые страницы истории западной философии

В статье излагается позиция, во многом противоположная той, что представлена в монографии Г. Маркузе «Эрос и цивилизация». Во-первых, труд никогда не свести к игре; во-вторых, эрос в цивилизации имеет репрессивную функцию; в-третьих, тяжёлый физический труд имеет психотерапевтическое значение. У труда в цивилизации есть не только экономическое значение, но и медицинское (оно и было изначальным при переходе к цивилизации). При игнорировании психотехнической роли труда начинаются изменения в социальной психологии, приводящие к навязчивым идеям в области политики и эротики. Ориентация общества на роскошь дополнительно провоцирует навязчивые идеи на грани безумия, включая институты власти, экономические проекты и сексуальные отношения. Не случайно при возникновении античной цивилизации под запрет попадали не только роскошь, но и комфорт. По отношению к «человеку разумному» уместно иметь ввиду, что разум, как и здоровье, теряем не только индивидуально, но и социально.

Application: Annotations of articles in Russian and English

About the benefits of the physiognomy method

In the article «On the benefits of the method of physiognomy for history», physiognomy is interpreted as a method of scientific research, adjacent to induction and deduction. In the method of physiognomy, a conclusion is made based on one fact, but one that is evidence (γνομα – small detail, sign). The sign becomes evidence in the chain of deductive proof, accordingly, giving the conclusion a reliable rather than probabilistic character. F. Bacon associated the invention of physiognomy as a scientific method with Hippocrates and Aristotle. Physiognomy, based on insightful observation, on the one hand, and logical analysis, on the other hand, not only combines the empirical and theoretical levels of knowledge, but also includes the methodology of aesthetic contemplation. Terms such as «picture», «face», «spirit» have a conceptual meaning in physiognomy. Transcendental visioning in physiognomy is no different from what is called «ingenuity» in design or «imagination» in mathematics. In the history of Western science, it so happened that the logical methods of deduction and induction pushed physiognomy to the edge of scientific methodology, almost identifying it with intuition. O. Spengler’s attempts to return physiognomy to the fold of scientific methodology didn’t find a response.

Retelling in philosophy

The article draws attention to a problem of a seemingly philological nature: the retelling of a classical philosophical text in the interests of, for example, a reference book or a textbook. However, it turns out that even seasoned authors sometimes fail to cope with this task. As an example of an incorrect retelling in philosophy, Aristotle’s ethics is analyzed – as the most seemingly accessible section of his philosophy. The error in the retelling begins with the fact that the central concept of Aristotle’s ethics – the «beautiful act» – is ignored. For Aristotle, this is one concept, and not the concept of «act» with the assessment «beautiful». It is in the single concept of «beautiful act» that the concept of «honor» is implicitly contained, which Seneca, subsequently developing the intention of Aristotelian thought, will develop into the concept of «conscience». An error in the retelling of the text turns the entire retelling into an arbitrary construction, over which even a tour through quotations looks preferable. In the history of philosophy, with the loss of the commentary genre, the retelling of the author’s philosophy has taken on an unacceptably familiar character. Under the pretext of «analysis» or «interpretation», retelling in philosophy takes on an openly deceitful character.

Street aesthetics in the antique polis: the emergence of Western philosophy

The emergence of Western philosophy has a completely different character than philosophizing in the culture of the Ancient East. Analysis of such factors of antique history as colonization, the transition from bronze to iron, the collapse of the patriarchal family, favorable climate and landscape conditions, the universal talent of the Hellenic people and other significant factors ultimately do not answer the question of how Western-type philosophy arose. It is no coincidence that E. Renan preferred to talk about the «Greek miracle». According to Renan, the «Greek miracle» was due to a successful composition of various factors – which, of course, took place. But the question of the emergence of Western philosophy cannot be reduced to a successful «mutation» of culture.