Zwei oder drei Dinge, die ich von der Technikphilosophie weiss

Nearby a somehow “official“ philosophy of technique, works have appeared in recent German literature where different techniques are studied according a renewed philosophical agenda about their concrete historical development. Once 19th Century German philosophy of technique briefly sketched, a sample from this recent production is considered. Surprisingly, they are meeting current literary studies and cultural history.     

Mathematics, experience and laboratories: Herbart's and Brentano's role in the rise of scientific psychology

In this article we present and compare two early attempts to establish psychology as an independent scientific discipline that had considerable influence in central Europe: the theories of Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841) and Franz Brentano (1838-1917). While both of them emphasize that psychology ought to be conceived as an empirical science, their conceptions show revealing differences. Herbart starts with metaphysical principles and aims at mathematizing psychology, whereas Brentano rejects all metaphysics and bases his method on a conception of inner perception (as opposed to inner observation) as a secondary consciousness, by means of which one gets to be aware of all of one's own conscious phenomena. Brentano's focus on inner perception brings him to deny the claim that there could be unconscious mental phenomena - a view that stands in sharp contrast to Herbart's emphasis on unconscious, "repressed" presentations as a core element of his mechanics of mind. Herbart, on the other hand, denies any role for psychological experiments, while Brentano encouraged laboratory work, thus paving the road for the more experimental work of his students like Stumpf and Meinong. By briefly tracing the fate of the schools of Herbart and Brentano, respectively, we aim to illustrate their impact on the development of psychological research, mainly in central Europe.     

文化遗产在欧洲:本真的神话

<正>今天我要谈谈"文化遗产"(cultural heritage)这一概念的漫长发展过程,其中会兼及"文化本真性"(cultural authenticity)的概念。从某种程度上说,在其成为今天这样一场"全球性的"运动之前,"文化遗产"是一个典型的"欧洲的"建构和传统。     

Die kultreform des ahas (2 kön 16,10–18)

Abstract

In 1 Kön 16,10–18? wird eine Kultreform des Ahas beschrieben. Zum einen hat er den regelmäßigen Brandopferkult in Jerusalem eingeführt und hierfür einen Altar nach Damaszener Vorbild aufstellen lassen (V. 10–16?). Zum anderen ließ er die mit Jahwe verbundenen Bilder des ehernen Meeres und der Kesselwagen beseitigen (V. 17). Außerdem sind auf ihn Baumaßnahmen am Tempelplatz zurückzuführen (V. 18a). Die angebliche Sabbathalle gab es nie; der Text wurde hier versehentlich falsch punktiert.     

European solidarity: a semantic history

Abstract

‘European solidarity’ is one of the most frequently used words in contemporary public discourse, but what does it mean? This article investigates the historical and semantic background of the term in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish since the French Revolution, when ‘solidarity’ became a political keyword for the first time in European history. With the founding of the Holy Alliance in 1815 the idea of ‘European solidarity’ as an instrument for achieving political order on the continent emerged. A historical longitudinal analysis via the Ngram Viewer reveals that the frequency of ‘solidarity’ follows or depends on certain crisis moments in history, such as revolutions, wars or economic troubles. ‘Solidarity’ belongs to the history of emotions and propaganda but is not a stable value system that consolidates political culture. It also seems to play a greater role in the national rather than in the European context. As a European political expression, ‘solidarity’ is not genuinely European but borrowed from the national political vocabulary. Moreover, the article outlines the semantic field of ‘European solidarity’ by showing linkages between ‘solidarity’ and other words.     

Der kundige Laie und das naturkundliche illustrierte Flugblatt der frühen Neuzeit

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how German and Latin illustrated broadsheets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries can serve as documents of the history of sciences and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. It shows how broadsheets were used as a means of conveying scientific observations and conclusions not only among scholars versed in Latin but, through the medium of the vernacular, between scholars and laymen, too. In the fields of medicine, astronomy, zoology and botany in particular, the illustrated broadsheet facilitated the rapid circulation of case histories and accounts of various scientific phenomena. Furthermore, it played an important role in breaking down the barriers that separated the scholar from the layman, who was otherwise far removed from the world of books.