Abstract and Key Words

McDowell and Dreyfus on Embodied Skillful Coping

YU Feng

Abstract:If we want to avoid falling into the myth of the given and to be able to say that experience can be used as an external restriction on our thinking, we must think that conceptual capacities permeate all experience of the world. John McDowell used this as the most important argument to defend conceptualism. The most direct criticism of this idea is a non-conceptual point of view, whose evidence comes from our grasp of the phenomena of fineness and richness of sensory experience and skilled action. In this article, I try to argue that non-conceptualism is not a satisfactory way to deal with this problem, and illustrate how McDowell constantly adjusts his views in the famous debate between McDowell and Dreyfus. On the one hand, he believes that the relationship between perception, action and thought is a continuous difference rather than a “top-bottom”dualistic demarcation, on the other hand, it is argued that rational conceptual capacities has already run through the embodied skillful coping.

Key words:the myth of the mental; coping; embodiment; conceptual capacities; phronesis (practical wisdom)

The Fate of the Philosophy of Eros: From Plato to Deleuze

CHENG Danggen

Abstract:The philosophy of Eros begins with the philosophical transition of the myth of eros to which Plato modifies in ancient Greek. According to dialectics, Plato divides erotic subject into soul and body while he divides erotic objects into form and thing. It marks the birth of the erotic philosophy on the point that Plato sees“l(fā)ack” as the structural essence of eros while he attaches importance to soul and form, and belittles body and thing. After that, the western metaphysics blindly follows his erotic philosophy. Hegel and Heidegger are caught respectively in the magic spells of “mourning” and “melancholia” because each of them organizes his own erotic philosophy with the “l(fā)ack” principle. Deleuze’s practices regain the views of body and desire that Plato degrades. He treats desire as a productive reverse of Plato’s erotic philosophy and his way of rational desire.

Key words:eros; Plato; philosophy of eros; lack; Hegel; Heidegger

Why is it Diff i cult for Physicalism to Explain Mind? Criticism of Edelman’s Theory of Consciousness

CHEN Xiangqun

Abstract:In the philosophy of mind, physicalism has occupied a place for a long time. Edelman, one of the representatives of physicalism, firmly believes that all mental problems can be solved through the interaction between neurons in the human brain. On the basis of insisting on physical hypothesis, evolutionary hypothesis and subjective characteristic hypothesis, Edelman put forward some persuasive consciousness theories, such as the theory of neuronal group selection theory, dynamic core theory and reentry theory etc. However, after the analysis of them, we believe that Edelman’s theory of consciousness not only fails to explain clearly the hard problem of consciousness, intentionality and free will, but also faces the severe challenge of cognitive science. Even the approach of reductionist adopted by Edelman has obvious defects. Therefore, physicalism is still difficult to explain clearly the mind. To break through the limitations of physicalism, we need to find a comprehensive research method that combines the first person and the third person, while the neurophenomenology, neuro-philosophy and dualism of naturalism provide a theoretical reference for us to find this method.

Key words:physicalism; Edelman; theory of consciousness

The Metaphysical Feature of the Study of Mind in Chinese Buddhism

YANG Weizhong

Abstract:The discussion of the study of mind has raised the height of the ontology in Chinese Buddhism. The mind-ontology and the truth-ontology are the most important intellectual levels for the study of mind in Chinese Buddhism, by which Buddhism establishs its metaphysical system. Based on the mind-ontology, one of the points of localized sects of Buddhism, truth-ontology was to connect the truth-body to the mind-body and formed the study of mind ontology. Tiantai sect established its mind-ontology as“ the ignorance of one thought is pure mind” , while the Hua-yen sect set its mind-ontology as“ one’s own nature is of satisfactory purity” or as“ a true dharmadhatu” , and the Chan sect’s mind-ontology was the“ mind of its own” . Otherwise, the Vijnaptimātratā school took the standpoint by separating themind-ontology and the truth-ontology. The undefiled seeds in the mind ontology or in the alayaconsciousness are the medium to link the mind-ontology and the truth-ontology. The mind-ontology of the above four sects all possessed the substantive tendency, namely that, they all regarded the mind-ontology as something certain and real, whichare totally different from what western philosophy has put forward. The western philosophy sees the substance as something absolute, with the quality of independence and no action. Mind is not only the subject for the living creatures to liberate and attain Buddhahood, but also it is the ultimate basis for the dharma to rise up and exist. Therefore, the mind-ontology in the sects in Sui and Tang dynasty had two missions. On the one hand, it was the ontology in the sense of living beings and the practice of Buddhism. On the other hand, it was the ontology of the phenomenological world.

Key words:study of mind in Buddhism; truth-ontology; mind-ontology; metaphysics, ontology

Characteristics of Governmental and Nongovernmental Neo-Confucianism in Ming Dynasty: On the Unity of Sinology and Song Studies

LU Pengfei

Abstract:The controversy between Qing Sinology and Song Studies is a main line running through the academia, but Qing Sinology and Song Studies were not only against each other, but also had coherence and unity. From the unity point of view, the Confucianism in Ming Dynasty has sorted out the documents and books since Song and Yuan Dynasties. As the imperial examination and value orientation, it influenced the Confucian culture of the whole East Asia on the aspects of instrumental rationality and value rationality, and has formed the Confucian cultural community which continues to the present. In the aspect of nongovernmental Neo-Confucianism, Ming Dynasty’s theory of mind raised the value rationality and subjectivity, made full ideological preparations for Qing Dynasty’s scholarship, and laid a theoretical foundation for it. In methodology, the Ming Dynasty Confucianism is the prelude to the academic method of the Qing Dynasty; its gongfu theory laid down by Ming Dynasty psychologists still has great influence on Qing Dynasty.

Key words:nongovernmental neo-Confucianism; dispute between Han and Song; unity

From Art to Philosophy: The Transformation of the Figure Dionysius in Nietzsche’s Works

HAN Wangwei

Abstract:The image of Dionysus shows different connotations in the early and late writings of Nietzsche. In the early writings, Dionysus represents a primitive artistic impulse. In the late writings, Zarathustra is the incarnation of Dionysus. It is the image of Zarathustra that helps Nietzsche change the connotation of Dionysus from art to philosophy.Additionally, by Dionysus, early Nietzsche wants towake the enthusiasm for ancient myth. On the contrary, Nietzsche in his late years tries to conceive a new Dionysian religion, which could replace the Christianism.

Key words:Nietzsche; Dionysus; Bacchus; Zarathustra

Marxism and Natural Law

William Leon Mcbride

Abstract:Humanity is one of the most important terms of social theory. Marx and natural law theorists describe it and regard it as theoretical foundation. However, there has been a division in the evolution of theory.On the one hand, it caused many misunderstandings of Marxism from the successors. On the other hand, it led to the Christianization of natural law theory. By re-examining the relationship between Marxism and natural law theory, it is necessary to outline a natural law theory (historically changeable natural law theory) that is most compatible with social theory of Marxism. Only by relying on the concrete and precise analysis of human society can we draw a picture of the expectable future social development.

Key words:historically changeable natural law; Marxism; nature

Immanent Critique and the Paradox of Norms: Re fl ections on the Critical Theory’s Approach

ZHOU Aimin

Abstract:In the recent development of critical theory, reflections on the critical theory’s approach has become an important issue again. Both the theory’s advocators and its opponents treat the immanent critique as their core approach. In recent years, the possibility of this approach has been widely questioned. Not only has the approach’s basic theoretical presuppositions been questioned, but also its applications. The approach’s selfconsistency is the first and primary problem, that is, how can the immanent critique with the transcendental potentiality be possible. To solve this problem, there exist two possiblebasic ways, namely, formal anthropology and the paradox of norm. This paper argues that the theory of a paradox of norm is better at solving the problem of self-consistency. It denies neither the importance of normative research nor the constructive role of negative experience. It can integrate them, thus fully highlights the critical role of the critical theory.

Key words:critical theory; immanent critique; norm; paradox

Applying Philosophical Practice in Promoting Scholar’s Conf i dence of Academic Research

GONG Yan

Abstract:The lack of confidence in research will negatively affect scholars’ active academic behaviors.Comparing with psychological therapies, philosophical practice has its advantages both in theory and in practice when it is applied on the cases of helping scholars promoting their confidence in research. The applying of doubting logic is one of the methods of philosophical practice. It can be particularly used in analyzing irrational beliefs and illogical inferences that are possessed by scholars when they are unconfident. It is a good logic tool.According to it, scholars can not only judge whether the given inferences with doubt or the contained beliefs are logical, but also be instructed to form reasonable doubting processes, and therefore hit the target of promoting their confidence of research. These two functions can be well illustrated when using the rule of necessity of doubting logic to determine scholars’ doubting thoughts and the conclusions that they may get.

Key words:philosophical practice; doubting logic; the rule of necessity

The Logic Analysis of Luxury Consumption Subject Transmission:Comparison of Chinese and French Based on Sombart’s Method

LIU Chenye LI Zhaoxin

Abstract:Sombart believed that it was the combined interaction of the humanity liberation after the Renaissance and the movement of women’s rights confirmation during the Enlightenment that led to the rise of luxury consumption in Europe, especially in France, which became a powerful driving force for the development of early capitalism. The main characters of this luxurious life and the process of its diffusion are: The French court (king and court nobles), the middle class (the old and new aristocracy), the public. Chinese people’s ever-growing needs for better life make the process that took place in Europe appear in new era of China: business nouveaux riches,art and sports stars and civil servants-the middle class-the public, it makes China become a new king of luxury consumption but not real wealthy, luxury comes before wealth. Luxury consumption has two sides: it may not only promote a better life, but also may be contrary to the concept of sustainable development. It is necessary to conduct from both the ideological and social system aspects, improve the meaning of citizens’ life, regulate the characters of the diffusion and its logic, and achieve a win-win interaction between a better life and luxury consumption.

Key words:luxury; affordable luxury; luxury consumption; free luxury consumption; subject transmission logic

Ref l ections on Relativism: From Momentous Tautology to Seductive Contradiction

Susan Haack

Abstract:Susan Haack provided a unified framework for the analysis of relativism, bringing many theses like Quine’s ontological relativity into the scope of relativism. She distinguished between shallow relativism and deep relativism. The former is that the subjects of discussion vary with different factors. The latter is that only relative to certain factors can these subjects be meaningful. Using this distinction, Haack explored Rorty’s epistemic relativism. She did not give a direct refutation to relativism, but through a detailed comparison with Putnam’s conceptual relativism, she described a theory she called“ innocent realism” to show how the considerations that motivated certain forms of relativism could be accommodated in a non-relativist way.

Key words:shallow relativism; deep relativism; epistemic relativism; conceptual relativity; innocent realism

How to Make Sense of Game Theory?

Wolfgang Spohn

Abstract:The paper examines the extent to which game theory can be derived from a strictly Bayesian or decision theoretic point of view, since this is the only way to gain a unified theory of practical rationality. It observes that no such derivation exists and criticizes the standard arguments for the rationality of equilibrium strategies in two-person zero-sum games. It then proposes the beginnings of the theory or rationalizability (as it has been called later on) and observes its restrictions. It continues with pleading for a strict distinction of action rationality and epistemic rationality (which are confounded in game theory). The final critical discussion of Harsanyi’s stance concludes that issues of epistemic rationality are independent and need to be explicitly considered in game theory and proposes to explain the subjective probabilities of the players, as they are assumed in game theory, as evolving in Bayesian game learning processes.

Key words:game theory; Bayesian theory; decision theory; action rationality; epistemic rationality

Interological Ref l ections on the Digital

ZHANG Xianguang

Abstract:To reveal the ethical points of the digital, new theoretical horizons are needed. Interology and Flusser’s thought can equip us for the task. The digital nurtures or revives the interological sensibility. It constitutes an environment that resembles khora, which reshapes everything in it. The artwork known as the Hive installed at the Royal Botanic Gardens is veritably a mythic symbol of the digital age. Notions like intermind, the virtual, digital double, control and becoming, and the acceleration of reality set the tone of explorations in digital humanities. When facing the unknown, humanity should be open-minded towards the unknown, and improvise an existential gyroscope fitting the new real.

Key words:interology; khora; the virtual; inter-mind