SATS Volume 4 Issue 2

SATS

Volume 4 Issue 2

Contents
Journal Overview

Political Liberalism and Respect: A Response to Linda Barclay

Martha C. Nussbaum March 19, 2010 Page range: 25-44

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Irreality of Fact

Stig Alstrup Rasmussen March 19, 2010 Page range: 45-66

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Abstract

It is argued that C. Wright's worry over the Basic Argument for Quitism is misplaced since the argument is incoherent. An even more basic argument is considered, and some consequences traced for, inter alia, the Tractarian view in metaphysics and Dummett's Metaphor Thesis, connecting ontology and semantics. In the course of the argument, work by, primarily, C. Peacocke and J. McDowell is touched upon.

Discursive conditions and contextual presuppositions. Habermas versus Apel

Petra Hedberg March 19, 2010 Page range: 67-92

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Abstract

The terms “morality” and “ethical life” refer to the relationship between Kant's universalistic and Hegel's “contextualised” account of morality. In this essay, the problem of universalism and contextualism will be addressed to Apel's and Habermas's positions. I will divide the theme into three main topics: 1) The historical reconstruction of the rational conditions of discourse ethics within Habermas's position: in which sense could this approach lead to a contextualism? 2) The difficulty with establishing a non-contextual justification of the discursive, rational conditions. Habermas's reconstructive approach will be confronted with Apel's “strict reflectional” approach which relies on stronger universalistic presuppositions. 3) This last topic will focus on the main difference between Habermas's and Apel's perspectives. This is connected to the double function of the rational “symmetry and reciprocity” -conditions: they are seen as consensual and simultaneously meta-normative conditions. Their meta-normative character is Apel's main concern, and seen as vital to social criticism.

Interpretability, Perceptual Sensibilities and Triangulation

Tomáš Marvan March 19, 2010 Page range: 93-107

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Abstract

The paper examines the question whether the perceptual and discriminatory capacities of a creature and its disposition to react to things and events determine the nature and limits of what it is able to communicate and understand. Does a significant divergence in perceptual and discriminatory sensibilities of two creatures threaten the possibility of their mutual comprehensibility? It is argued, with the help of Donald Davidson's recent idea of ‘triangulation’, that this is indeed the case. By introducing into his theoretical framework the notion of triangulation as a necessary precondition of mastering a language, Davidson is forced to admit the possibility of a breakdown of communication between creatures that do not have sufficiently similar evolutionary histories—his own claims to the contrary nothwithstanding. And this, in turn, seems to threaten his claims about the impossibility of the notion of a language that we could not interpret in our own terms.

Hämnd, vedergällning och straff

Joakim Molander March 19, 2010 Page range: 108-123

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Abstract

I den moderna straffrättsliga diskussionen framhålls det ofta att straff ska utdömas på rationella och inte emotionella grunder. Rättssystemet ska sålunda inte hänge sig åt “primitiva hämndaktioner” utan systematiskt arbeta för att förebygga brott och mänskligt lidande. Förutom att ett sådant synsätt har tydliga utilitaristiska förtecken så innehåller det också starka retoriska inslag eftersom det sätts likhetstecken mellan brottsprevention och rationalitet, medan moralisk indignation och krav på rättvisa endast beskrivs i termer av primitiva, emotionella hämndbegär. I den här artikeln har jag för avsikt att genom en analys av vedergällningsbegreppet visa att vedergällningens logik är rotad i vårt sätt att förhålla oss moraliskt till varandra – att den är ett uttryck för vår livsform. Jag kommer vidare att försöka åskådliggöra att vedergällningen är moraliskt sofistikerad snarare än primitiv. Slutligen kommer jag att framhålla att vedergällningens logik är en viktig komponent i vårt straffbegrepp, men att vedergällning och straff ändå måste särskiljas. Jag vill redan nu klargöra att jag i artikeln utgår från en analys av vår “vardagliga” användning av begreppsom ‘hämnd’, ‘vedergällning’ och ‘straff’. Det betyder att jag högst medvetet har valt att inte utgå från en teoretisk filosofisk diskussion om straffets rättfärdigande. Jag vill heller intepresentera någon ny form av retributivistisk teori, utan nöjer mig med att göra anmärkningar om hur vi faktiskt använder de begrepp som här särskådas.

Davidson, Truth, and Semantic Unity

Asbjørn Steglich-Petersen March 19, 2010 Page range: 124-146

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Abstract

In this paper I will introduce and discuss a series of problems associated with answering the question of semantic unity, and argue that the truth theoretical approach to semantics put forward by Donald Davidson suggests a possible solution. Although not put forward explicitly as such by Davidson, it is my belief that we in Davidson's interpretation of Tarski's definition of truth find the resources to illuminate and dissolve the problem of unity.

John Dewey and Liberalism

Martin A. Bertman March 19, 2010 Page range: 147-164

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Abstract

Dewey provides a useful analysis of what he calls historic liberalism and an interesting version of liberalism. A doctrine that he believes is useful for his time. This is a reconstituted liberalism with a holistic approach to society and nature. Dewey's “transactional” approach sees the fault of traditional liberalism as separating the individual as an entity outside an evolving social and natural context. This doctrine, while attending to greater individual freedom like all liberalism, emphasizes cooperation in a constantly evolving context guided by and modelled upon science.

Finding One's Way Into the Tractatus

Cora Diamond March 19, 2010 Page range: 165-182

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David L Hildebrand, Beyond Realism and Antirealism: John Dewey and the Neopragmatists. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 2003. 241 pp.

Sami Pihlström March 19, 2010 Page range: 183-191

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Nykänen, Hannes: The ‘I’, the ‘You’ and the Soul. An Ethics of Conscience. Doctoral dissertation. Åbo Akademi University Press, 2002. 476 + viii pp.

Carsten Fogh Nielsen March 19, 2010 Page range: 201-210

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Tanker i anledning af 2 nye Nietzsche-bøger: en anmeldelse

Henning Høgh Laursen March 19, 2010 Page range: 211-221

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Orbituary

March 19, 2010 Page range: 222-225

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About this journal

Mission statement

SATS – Northern European Journal of Philosophy publishes accessible, high-quality academic articles in all traditions and fields of philosophy. As a broad and inclusive philosophy journal, it is our mission to promote philosophical dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, within philosophy and with neighbouring fields. We welcome submissions from junior as well as senior scholars who in their work are aiming to promote philosophical dialogue. To achieve this, articles submitted to SATS should

be jargon-free and written in clear accessible prose
address a broad audience of philosophers and philosophically oriented academics
seek to contextualise the philosophical questions addressed

SATS publishes two issues per year: A special issue in the spring and a regular issue in the autumn.

Our special issue addresses a topic which has relevance for promoting philosophical dialogue and cross-disciplinary thinking. Please watch for calls for papers to special issues on our homepage.

Our regular issue includes regular submissions from all fields of philosophy, one or two invited papers from leading philosophical scholars working with interdisciplinary themes, and a book review section. The book review section is especially dedicated to highlighting reviews with interdisciplinary relevance.

Contemporary academic philosophy is characterised by increased specialisation and small technical and scholarly debates. Although such discussions are crucial for the development and growth of knowledge, they require a counterbalance in the form of texts and contexts of broader scope. We believe that original research in philosophy can be written in a non-technical, lucid style and that philosophical discussions have much to gain from such work. To support a fruitful exchange of ideas, we encourage authors to explicate technical issues, and to clarify the relevance of their work to non-specialists.

Our goal is to be a favourite publication venue for interdisciplinary philosophical debates. We welcome and support submissions that contextualise philosophy by bringing it into dialogue with other fields, for instance literary studies, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, mathematics or the natural sciences. We also believe that philosophy benefits from dealing with the immediate concerns of modern societies, and that modern societies benefit from more engaged forms of philosophy. In other words, SATS is happy to provide a venue for articles that put philosophy to work beyond specialised philosophical discussions.

Submit your research online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sats

Your article can be published open access if your institution sponsors such an arrangement or if it has an agreement with De Gruyter – please see here: web link

CFP: List of forthcoming Special Issues

Information about our upcoming book review section will soon appear on SATS’ homepage.