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THE RUSSIAN PHILOSOPHICAL GAZETTE

February 2010 – No 2

FEATURES

Antony Ashley Cooper: “He Who is at Peace with Himself is at Peace with the World.”

Anthony Ashley Cooper, the third Earl of Shaftesbury, lived from 1671 to 1713. He was one of the most important philosophers of his day, and exerted an enormous influence throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on British and European discussions of morality, aesthetics, and religion.

Shaftesbury's philosophy combined a teleological approach, according to which all things are part of a harmonious cosmic order, with sharp observations of human nature. Shaftesbury is often credited with originating the moral sense theory. While he argued that virtue leads to happiness, Shaftesbury was a fierce opponent of psychological and ethical egoism. Shaftesbury's belief in a harmonious cosmic order dominated his view of religion, which was based on the idea that the universe clearly exhibits signs of perfect divine design.

BY NATALIYA LOGINOVA

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The Globalisation of Ethics: Practice of Humanism

 

Wisdom is just a prerequisite of ethical and civilised life. If it is based on wisdom, it is based on humanism. With wisdom as the highest form of human intellect and emotions as the social code for a fair life, we can begin to realise what can be called “sociogenesis” which is, in fact, a key principle, a natural law to be used to organize human communities. Incidentally, the inability to use this law did not let the human race put an end to civil wars, terrorism and revolutions. The endless chain of those longing for power – from kings, tsars, khans, general secretaries and presidents on the one hand, to road traffic policemen on the other – should be cut short at last. As history shows, all those craving power have something in common: they have no wisdom. We can hardly say who of the leaders made himself famous through his humanism, but we know very well those who gained fame through their, mildly speaking, equivocal deeds. So there is a good question: why? Why are thrones or top positions firmly held by those with low thinking capacity?

 

 

BY ARNOLD KAZMIN

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English

 

The Triumph of Ignorance

 

It is really surprising how many people in Russia believe in astrological forecasts, extra sensual fantasies, witchcraft and the so-called healers and other nonsense. We have noted with regret on a number of occasions that even intelligent people sometimes succumb to all sorts of myths. This is a clear indication that the general level of education in this country leaves a lot to be desired. However naive they may be, should we put the blame on them only? How can they not believe in such things if their heads are brain-washed daily by our mass media? It is obvious that the mass media are primarily concerned with their profits rather than our level of education, moral values or principles. This is exactly what this article is about. We should not be complacent with what is going on in the minds of the younger people, hoping that they will grow to understand this world well enough to tell right from wrong or a truth from a lie. We need to act now, or we will have to pay dearly for that complacency and go down the hill to a primitive, primeval state.

BY ANTON SMIRNOV

 

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The Caucasus: Faith, Hope, Love

 

This is an interview with Academician M.Ch.Zalikhanov on the topical problems of relations between the peoples, religions and cultures of the Caucasus and Russia as a whole.

Mikhail Zalikhanov, a Balkar by nationality, has well-earned his reputation as one of the most learned men in the North Caucasus. He was born into a family of one of the best mountain guides in a village on Mount Elbrus. The Barkars, as is known, were victimized and sent to exile, just as a number of other peoples in the Caucasus, so Mikhail spent his green years in Kirghizia. Now Mikhail Zalikhanov is a deputy in the State Duma, and Chairman of the Duma Subcommittee for the problems of the indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus. His contributions to science are numerous. For example, is considered to be the founder of the scientific school for studying the behavior of avalanches and mud flows. He served many years as the official representative of the county in the UN Council for Natural Disasters. He was given many state awards for his achievements in different scientific fields.

 

INTERVIEW BY SERGEI SHARAKSHANE

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On the Lots of Russian Life

The article is about Anton Chekhov, perhaps the greatest Russian playwright and writer. Chekhov is easy to understand. Chekhov is an enigma. Chekhov is more than a writer, he is a genius. No one could write like him, no one ever will. Chekhov is everything. Chekhov is our life. Chekhov is the truth. Chekhov really moves!

But still. What is Chekhov? What is the person whose word, as Ivan Bunin said, “is read by all kinds of souls, by all the world, in fact”?

BY NATALIYA LOGINOVA

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Professor Ivanov’s Head

It is not by mere chance that the title of the article reminds one of Alexander Beliaev’s novel Professor Dowell's Head which is science fiction. But the article has nothing to do with fiction. In fact, among other things, it sheds light on Ilya Ivanov, a Russian biologist and a stock-breeder who is known to have made a claim that he could mate a man with an ape and thus create a “new man”, or, perhaps, a “super warrior”. To conduct his field experiments, his research team was even sent to Guinea only to fail on all counts.

This article, however, is not about him or his doubtful achievements; it is about a unique scientific institution – the Sukhumi Research and Development Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy. The institute’s object of study has been the monkey for many-many years. Founded in 1927, it has conducted numerous medical and biological experiments that made a considerable contribution to our science. So it is essentially about the achievements and problems of this institute. The story is based on the interview with its director, Zurab Mikvabiya.

 

BY VLADIMIR ROSCHUPKIN

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Internet, Intellect and Ethics

A word spoken is past recalling… The world web gives us practically an unlimited possibility to socialize, though virtually, but effectively. It brings people closer for it has no state boundaries. However, along with obvious pluses there are some minuses that this type of communication among people of different views, beliefs, races, cultures, education and so on can offer. The subject of the article is the culture and ethics of communicating through the Internet. In any forum or chat room nowadays one can meet bullies, foul-mouths, radically-minded or vicious people who do not think twice about using bad language to insult their opponents or their feelings, sometimes national. The latter is evidently much worse than the former who just use a four-letter word excessively. Sometimes, instead of bringing people together, the Internet divides them by allowing such “freedom of speech” to nationalists, racists or just fools. The point is: should Internet forum or chat moderators be instructed to exercise at least some kind of control over what is being said in the world web?

 

BY DMITRI OKUNEV

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