Situatia filosofiei in Romania: Cuvant inainte

In urma unei discutii pe Skype cu Alexandru Lucinescu, am convenit sa pornim o discutie publica despre racordarea mediului filosofic romanesc la cel din occident. Discutiile se pot contura in jurul unor intrebari de tipul:

1. Controversele din filosofia occidentala contemporana se regasesc in dezbaterile filosofice romanesti?
2. Reprezentantii filosofiei romanesti intervin in discutiile din filosofia occidentala?
3. Cum am putea caracteriza prezenta autorilor romani in filosofia occidentala?

Asa cum am mai spus, este o discutie publica si ... mai ales libera. Asadar orice interventie este binevenita.

Cum se va produce aceasta dezbatere
Fiindca orice dezbatere are niste reguli clare dupa care se produce, noi ne-am gandit sa le formulam de la inceput. Mai precis, dezbaterea va incepe cu niste intrari pe blog din partea celor doi moderatori (i.e., Ales si eu). Apoi, subiectele de discutie, fiind aruncate in joc, vor fi urmate de comentarii din partea oricui doreste sa participe la dispute. Evident, nici moderatorii, nici cei care comenteaza nu vor avea pretentia de a oferi rezolutii, solutii decisive in problemele vizate, ci doar sa formuleze intrebari, sa semnaleze erori sau puncte tari, sa reformuleze problemele etc., totul menit fiind sa lumineze desisul pentru contextul cultural romanesc. Asta inseamna ca suntem cu totii de acord ca nu exista o singura rezolvare, ci rezolvarile, in masura in care pot fi oferite, depind foarte tare de context, de actorii implicati, de modalitatea de rezolvare imaginata/gandita/practica.

Limitele comentariilor
Limbajul vulgar, defaimator sau discriminatori nu-si au rostul aici si, prin urmare, nu va fi tolerat. In al doilea rand, ca orice discutie sa nu devina monolog, ea trebuie sa se poarte in jurul aceluiasi subiect. Comentariile care nu urmaresc subiectul nu vor fi acceptate. Asadar, moderatorii si proprietarul acestui blog isi rezerva dreptul de a elimina fara nici un avertisment comentariile pe care le considera neavenite. In plus, moderatorii si proprietarul acestui blog isi rezerva dreptul de a modifica aceste reguli pe parcursul discutiei.

Pentru o discutie cu subiect inrudit, vezi comentariile de la "Ce competente avem (2): despre criteriul recunoasterii internationale".

Significant Research Projects (Oxford University, Classics)

Searching for some information about the Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies at the Oxford University, I have stumbled over the website of the Faculty of Classics (of the same institution). I knew about some of their research projects and probably most of those working in this field (classical studies) have used their results, but I thought it would be a useful information for young Romanian researchers to think over their own research ideas and research proposals. Nothing of similar stature ever sprung from Romanian academic milieu. Let's hope this situation will change in the next 20 years. :|

Here is the list:
1. Oxyrhynchus Papyri
2. Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources
3. Beazley Archive of Classical Archaeology and Art
4. Lexicon of Greek Personal Names
5. Roman Inscriptions of Britain
6. Sphakia Survey
7. Byzantine Ceramics
8. Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents
9. The Oxford Roman Economy Project (OxRep)
10. History of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama
11. Bibliotheca Academica Translationum
12. Roman Provincial Coinage in the Antonine Period
13. Research Archive for Greek and Roman Sculpture
14. Greek Literary Hands of the Roman Period
15. Imaging Papyri
16. Reception of Greek Literature 300 BC-800 AD: Traditions of the Fragment

The Colossal Statue of the Emperor Hadrian Discovered

The statute of the father of Roman fortifications (ref.: Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain ([rom.] Valul lui Adrian)), emperor Hadrian (ref.: he ruled between A.D. 117-138), has been discovered last month in southern Turkey, at the site of the ancient town of Sagalassos. The colossal statue would have stood 4-5 meters in height, as estimated by the site archaeologists.

More information can be found on the website posted by the archaeological field team: http://www.sagalassos.be/

A few hours ago, I have stumbled over a very interesting website -- Blackwell Compass -- specialized in peer-reviewed articles from various disciplines. They have a special section called Philosophy. Though it is a peer-review based scholarship virtual library, I still wonder if the texts available there are reliable.

Url: http://www.blackwell-compass.com/subject/philosophy/

Roger Bacon. Seven Centuries of Scholarship

One year ago, I have begun working on a bibliography for Roger Bacon as being in need of references for one article I was drafting back then. Now, it is time to post the first public draft (see the "Research Resources" section of my website) and wait for remarks and suggestions. It will be updated from time to time and, in the end, published under the title "Roger Bacon. Seven Centuries of Scholarship" in a new Romanian journal for Ancient & Medieval Studies. It contains references both to manuscripts and editions, and to critical studies and other secondary literature. It is only a draft and should be treated as such.

Update (September 5, 2007):
Due to some problems with the hosting service for my website, I am forced to postpone the publication of the Roger Bacon bibliography for a later date.

Universality of Reason - Plurality of Philosophies in the Middle Ages
XIIth International Congress of Medieval Philosophy

The Twelfth International Congress of Medieval Philosophy will be held in Palermo (Italy), 16-22 September 2007. The general theme of the Congress is: Universality of Reason - Plurality of Philosophies in the Middle Ages. There are six Plenary Sessions scheduled for the Congress. Lecturers invited by the Bureau of the SIEPM and by the Organising Committee will speak on the following topics:
1. Introduction: Universality of Reason – Plurality of Philosophies in the Middle Ages (Loris Sturlese)
2. Reason and Universality in the Middle Ages (Olivier Boulnois, Stephen Gersh, Pasquale Porro)
3. Religion and Plurality (Georgi Kapriev, Charles Manekin, Marwan Rashed)
4. Plurality of Philosophical Traditions (Paolo Lucentini, Constant Mews, Thomas Ricklin)
5. Language and Plurality (Cristina D'Ancona, Dag Hasse, Irène Rosier)
6. Region and Plurality (Giulio d'Onofrio, Richard Cross, Josep-Ignasi Saranyana)

More details can be found at the following address:
http://www.siepm.uni-freiburg.de/congress/congr_congress_2007_2nd_en.html

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A preliminary programme has been made available here.

Personally, I think this is the biggest event in the field and its contribution to imposing research directions is essential. Unfortunately, only members of the SIEPM may present papers at this event.

The international conference
Ethics and the Professional Culture
A multi-disciplinary approach
Cluj-Napoca, October 5-6th, 2007

The unique development of the subdivision known as "applied ethics" has had a great impact on the moral philosophy during the last years. It appears as a new paradigm in practical philosophy, and a new model to conceive morality by challenging the deontological and teleological approaches. It prefigures comprehension of ethical relations, starting with those that the individuals develop within a professional community. The norms and the rules that structure the moral conduct of the individuals do neither constitute, nor validate themselves exclusively at the level of personal consciousness. They must be traced in the persons' interactions inside the professional community, and in the connection of the professional community with the entire social system and with the norms and principles on which its policy is based. This has as a consequence the need for codifying the professional practices and developing of specific independent institutions with the precise purpose of managing moral conflicts. [more]

The matters of moral and professional integrity, and of ethics in professional culture are of crucial significance, not only from a theoretical point of view, viz. the reassessment of moral theories that are currently adjusting to the type of conducts that contemporary society emphasizes, but also from a practical one, especially from the perspective of social changes that Romanian society expects.

To conclude, the main objective of the conference demands significant commitment and theoretical analysis of the practical and moral implications of the process of implementing new rules and guidelines in new Romania's organizations.

Organizers:

• Center for Applied Research in Phenomenology, Babeş-Bolyai University

Co-organizers:

• Academic Society for the Research of Religions and Ideologies (SACRI), Cluj-Napoca
• Research Center in Applied Ethics (CCEA), Bucureşti
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More details can be found here: http://hiphi.ubbcluj.ro/hiphi/confe_etica/princip.htm