Heraclitus (c. 535–c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom.

Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, as stated in his famous saying, "You cannot step twice into the same river." He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down is one and the same," existing things being characterized by pairs of contrary properties.

Heraclitus is often pictured as an unsociable thinker with aristocratic manners. In his famous “Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers” Diogenes Laertius writes: “He was above all men of a lofty and arrogant spirit... And at last becoming a complete misanthrope, he used to live, spending his time in walking about the mountains; feeding on grasses and plants...”

However these lines that became a well established opinion do not come to a close fit with Heraclitus’ basic ideas that anticipated, forestalled and perhaps pre-dated many philosophical concepts including Hegel’s dialectic.

BY NATALYA LOGINOVA

Read the article in Russian

Ethics: Scientific Knowledge, Rationale And Normativity

This article is not to be missed as it presents a summary of the outlook that has been advocated by RPhG since its foundation. In fact, it is a message to the general public and philosophers that allows everyone to better understand the RPhG approach to a number of philosophical problems and fill in the gaps that might have inadvertently occurred. It is also intended to increase public awareness of the urgency of the issues raised. Moreover, it is an invitation for academicians, natural scientists and scholars to engage in a discussion on the problems of morality and just governance.

Encouraged by our readers (including such outstanding scientists as the RAS members V.E.Zakharov and V.A.Lektorsky), RPhG is more certain than ever before that developing its approach to explaining the notion of “morality” and its role as a foundation for building a decent social life thereon is something really worth doing. So the Gazette will continue to focus on the role of morality in organizing a proper process of social governance.

BY ARNOLD KAZMIN

Read the article in Russian

A Scientist and a Citizen

Vitaly Ginzburg, who has died aged 93, was an outstanding scientist and a public figure, a Nobel prizewinning Russian physicist and one of the fathers of the Soviet hydrogen bomb. His death is a heavy loss to the Russian people and the Russian science.

A wide-ranging intellect, he did groundbreaking work in quantum theory, astrophysics, radio astronomy and diffusion of cosmic radiation in the Earth's atmosphere, all of which were of Nobel caliber, said Gennady Mesyats, director of the Lebedev Physics Institute in Moscow, where Dr. Ginzburg worked.

Vitaly Ginzburg also played an enormous role for RPhG to become what it is now. He was the first of all the RAS Members to agree to give an interview to us when we were just making our first steps (see RPhG No 10, 2007). But many times more important is the influence of his great personality and his civil position which has become a benchmark for the Gazette’s character and orientation.

BY RPhG EDITORIAL STAFF

Read the article in Russian

Maxwell’s Equations Have Paid for Hundreds of Years to Come

This is an interview with physicist Gennady Mesyats in which he shares his views on many issues like fundamental and applied science, today’s role of philosophy, religion, government, brain drain and, of course, prospects for the future. He is best known as a founder and a leader of many scientific areas in the field of heavy-current engineering and pulsed electro physics. In 1986, Gennady Mesyats headed the Ural branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences and established the Institute of Electrophysics at the USSR Academy of Sciences, at present he is a director of the Institute. He is the Chairman of the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of the Russian Federation. Being a great scientist and an administrator, he eventually became Vice-president of the Soviet and consequently Russian Academy of Sciences.

Gennady Mesyats is the USSR State prize winner, the Russian Federation State prize winner, Ervin Marx (1991) and Walter Dine (1990) international prize winner.

INTERVIEW BY SERGEI SHARAKSHANE

Read the article in Russian

All Flags are Welcome Here

World Philosophy Day, an annual date UNESCO put on the calendar in 2005, is increasing its scope. This November Moscow and St.-Petersburg became the world’s philosophy capitals as this year Russia was the host. WPD is also a festive occasion intended to bring philosophy closer to the general public and increase public awareness of many important issues of global scope and interest as well as initiate public debates on today’s challenges. Renowned philosophers, students, academics and other lovers of philosophy got together around the topic “Philosophy and the Dialogue of Cultures”. The event was organized by the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

For us this year’s WPD is also important because a living legend of philosophy Jurgen Habermas met and exchanged views with the RPhG Editor-in-Chief, our major contributor and writer Arnold Kazmin.

BY VLADIMIR ROSCHUPKIN

Read the article in Russian

Russian Philosophy in the Second Half of 20th Century

What was philosophy in the Soviet years? Historical materialism and dialectical materialism taught at every institution of higher learning, which are of no value today?

It is a mistake to think like that because philosophy soared at least two times in the Soviet era – in 1920s and the second half of the 20th century. It is true that there was a period of Stalin’s dominance and suppression of freethinking in between. We know quite well the 1920s’ philosophical heritage, but are very ignorant of the philosophical “renaissance” in the second half of the last century.

The 21 volume edition covering the works of many thinkers of the second half of the past century is intended to fill in the gap. The last book of which will be issued in 2010.

The article is essentially an interview with academician V.A.Lektorsky who is Editor-in-Chief of that edition.

INTERVIEW BY SERGEI SHARAKSHANE

Read the article in Russian

The Great Karl

This is a tribute to one of the greatest Russian painters Karl Brullov. After distinguishing himself as a promising and imaginative student and finishing his education, he left Russia for Rome where he worked until 1835 as a portraitist and genre painter, though his fame as an artist came when he began doing historical painting.

His best-known work, The Last Day of Pompeii (1830–1833) created a sensation in Italy and established Briullov as one of the finest European painters of his day. After completing this work, he triumphantly returned to the Russian capital, where he made many friends among the aristocracy and intellectual elite and obtained a high post in the Imperial Academy of Arts.

While he was working on the plafond of St Isaac's Cathedral, his health suddenly deteriorated. Following advice of his doctors, Briullov left Russia for Madeira in 1849 and spent the last three years of his life in Italy.

BY NATALYA LOGINOVA

Read the article in Russian

Издательство «СиДиПресс» адрес издательства и редакции «Российской философской газеты»
125252 г. Москва, ул. Зорге,9А.
Тел. (495) 735-40-69; Факс (495) 735-40-69
e-mail: rfg.06@mail.ru