Category Archives: PHILOSOPHY

Naira Zh. Mkrtchyan
The ideas of emancipation (or liberation) and closely related emancipatory (or liberation) struggle are widely articulated in the discourses concerning social and national, as well as, local and global issues. What opportunities are opened for these ideasin some contexts, what opportunities do they make available in terms of formulation of problems and modulation of themesare questions which certainly need more detailed and empirical researches for each case separately. Here is the consideration of Armenian case, as the ideas of emancipation (or liberation) and related emancipatory (or liberation) struggle are among the most articulated ones in Armenian discursive reality at least of the last two centuries. Most probably it will shed light on how that reality has been constructed and actually operating.

Summary

Movses H. Demirtshyan

Key words – culture, identity, nation, tradition, transformation, globalization, modernization, morality.

The paper analyzes the process of globalization in terms of the impact on the system of self-identification, in particular, on the transformation of national identity. It is known that it is in danger of extinction due to the leveling and aggressive distribution in traditional societies’ global (uniform) system of consumer values. For national identity in this context, there is only one way to survive – the transformation of nation from traditional to political. The process of modernization is also indicated by the fact that the core of this modernization is the modernization of the nation’s moral, which involves the construction of a new hierarchy of values. It is high-lighted that such modernization can take place only under the influence of a targeted system of self-identifications on the society (nation), resulting in possible formation of a political nation – a new community of people for whom the ethnic, religious, and cultural differences in the future are less important than the resolution of common social problems.

However, as a rule, this process of formation of a new identity is initiated by the political power that comes to the realization of the need to build a system of social relations based on new principles and relevant objectives, but, as the experience of post-Soviet countries shows, this need may go unnoticed. As a result, the society begins to form not transpersonal values (to what are the concerns and values of the political nation), but more personal, consumer, which are characterized as bourgeois. They are a direct threat to national identity, as depriving the system of self-identification of such unites transpersonal orientation as the experience of the past, traditions, culture and history, national and state interests and goals are. The threat to national identity in the system of bourgeois values exist on the ontological level, because the spread of bourgeois values (as opposed to national) facilitated by the fact that in a consumer society more viable are exactly the bourgeois values that contribute to a more well-being.

Considering the fact that during historical development the traditional nations transform into political nations, a number of theses are put forward, affirming that moral representations, norms of behaviour, ideals make the spiritual core of any nation. These factors are particularly obvious in the so-called agrarian states, where the rural way of life is a favourable basis for strengthening traditional morality. At the same time, the transformation of a traditional nation into a political one inevitably implies changes in traditional moral dispositions and the critical evaluation of the latter in terms of suitability for developing the society, overcoming stereotypes and forming a new ideology focused more on the state and the person rather than on the nation and collectivism. In this case, ‘political nation’ means a socio-political community endowed with general ethno-cultural consciousness. It is supposed that a traditional nation is successfully transformed into a political one when the society is intellectualized.

Summary

Naira Zh. Mkrtchyan

Key words– historical (in)justice, discourse, apocalyptic eschatology, time, event, truth, delusion, the nodal point

There are close interconnections between the Jewish-Christian understanding of history, apocalyptic tradition based on the procedures of distinctions between truth/delusion, good/evil, friend/enemy, justice/injustice and the idea of historical (in)justice. The concept of ‘justice means to give each his due’ is at the foundations of the idea of historical (in)justice. It is enormously important with regard to the present predominant public discourse in Armenia and its practical implications as the idea of historical (in)justice plays the role of a nodal point in that discourse. As a nodal point it partially and temporarily fixes the meanings of all so-called floating signifiers-security, democracy, social justice et c. Depending on that fixations and actual meanings social reality is not only represented in a certain way but also provides an amplitude of social opportunities and restrictions.

Summary

Seyran A. Zakaryan

Kay words – Vahram Rabuni, Historiography of Middle Ages, History of Philosophy, History of Armenia, Church, Historical Memory, Godliness, Legitimacy of State, Inheritance law.

This article demonstrates that the central idea of historical-philosophical and political views of the 13th century outstanding philosopher and politicalstate actor Vahram Rabuni is the fortification and strengthening of the Armenian statehood of Cilicia. Rabuni “revolutionizes” the structures of historical memory and national identity and puts both historical investigation and the understanding of events of his time for the increase of legitimacy and social authority of the state and not the church. He stresses the importance of preconditions of statehood perseverance (legitimacy, godliness, and wise application of authority), moreover he highlights the creation of a united front of Christian churches, solidarity of all social classes and activities contributing to improvement of statehood. Unlike many Medieval thinkers, Rabuni subordinates spiritual power to worldly power by ascribing ancillary function to the religious class and requiring that the church pay taxes to the state.

Part 2: History as the interconnection of thought-process towards truth and wisdom

Summary

Romik Kh. Kocharyan

Key words – history, historical-scientific conception, philosophy of history, hermeneutics, interpretation, truth.

This paper presents the problematic of understanding and interpretation in the realization of the genuine destination of history and, thus, in the being-oftruth of history. Understanding and interpretation are necessarily interwoven in the being of history as such. Into this problematic are necessarily and preferably involved both the historian author – during all stages of his history-creation (selecting and collecting historical material, research and exposition) and the reader – in his perusal relatedness with the historical text. In the historicalscientific conception of Movses Khorenats’i history is the understanding and interpretation of the genuine sense (meaning) and spirituality of the narrated in itself essential and significant bygones or yores of the world and in it also of mankind’s self-identity, life and culture, and as such it is a message to a “reading-lover” striving for understanding wisdom, valiance and heroism, every virtue and good-orderliness. And in its inner interrelation with history hermeneutics builds the foundation, forms the adequate construction, improves and leads to the completion of its necessary and preferable fulfillment the truth of the being of history as such and the sense, which reveals that truth.

Part one. History as culturally significant presence of the past of short-lived life

Summary

Romik Kh.Kocharyan

Keywords – history, language, being, Movses Khorenatsi, hermeneutics, understanding, culture, meaning, historical text.

This paper presents the problematic of understanding and interpretation in the realization of the genuine destination of history and, thus, in the being-oftruth of history. Understanding and interpretation are necessarily interwoven in the being of history as such. Into this problematic are necessarily and preferably involved both the historian author – during all stages of his history-creation (selecting and collecting historical material, research and exposition) and the reader – in his perusal relatedness with the historical text. History is the understanding and interpretation of the genuine sense (meaning) and spirituality of the narrated in itself essential and significant bygones or yores of the world and in it also of mankind՛s self-identity, life and culture, and as such it is a message to a “reading-lover” striving for understanding wisdom, valiance and heroism, every virtue and good-orderliness. And in its inner interrelation with history hermeneutics builds the foundation, forms the adequate construction, improves and leads to the completion of its necessary and preferable fulfillment the truth of the being of history as such and the sense, which reveals that truth.

Dedicated to the 700th anniversary

Summary

Seyran A. Zakaryan

Key words – Ontology, Proofs of the Existence of God, Monotheism, Creation, Providence, Faith, Reason.

The article analyses the prominent Armenian Medieval theologian and philosopher Hovhan Vortnetsy’s (1315-1388) metaphysical and ontological views, in particular, the issues on the existence of God, monotheism, divine names, God and the world, creation and providence, discussed by him. As a philosophizing theologian Vorotnetsi, discussing religious-theological issues, firstly, introduces their philosophical solutions, criticizes and denies the approaches that contradict the Revelation truths and the church doctrine and, secondly, he tries to justify the religious truths and the principle of the Christian faith through philosophical material and methods, logical and rational arguments. In particular, in order to justify the existence and nature of God, providence, monotheism and creation, he suggests rational proofs based on facts and evidence as well as on metaphysical paradigms (universal movement, determinism, necessity, accident and advisability). Although his metaphysics and ontology, which are mostly based on Aristotle’s teaching, are only an introduction to theology: on the one hand, they illustrate the high reputation and status of Philosophy and Logic and, on the other hand, they reveal the growth of interest in experience-based evidence.

On the issues of the translation into Armenian of some of the key terms of Martin Heidegger’s work “Being and Time”.

Summary

Ashot V. Voskanian

Key words – Heidegger, philosophical translation, fundamental ontology, Being, entity, Dasein, existence

The article discusses some problems of translation of Martin Heidegger’s «Being and time» into Armenian. Some translation versions for such terms as «Sein», «Dasein», «Existenz» and their derivatives are proposed.

Following Kuno Fischer’s Reconstruction of Ontologico- Gnosiological Problems of Ancient Greek Philosophy

Summary

Hakob S. Madoyan

The article discusses Kuno Fischer’s reconstruction of Ancient Greek philosophy, which is presented in the “Introduction” to his “History of New Philosophy”. Preserving formulations of main problems and the course of reconstruction proposed by Fischer, the development of ontologico-gnosiological problems of Ancient Greek philosophy is briefly traced on the basis of slightly different factual material with a grater accent on pre-Socratics and stressing some ideas, which are more topical from the viewpoint of modernity. An attempt is made to answer some possible criticism towards such reconstruction, as well as to discern some characteristics of Ancient Greek thought and Western thought in general.

Summary

Ashot V. Voskanian

Heidegger’s short-lived cooperation with the Nazi regime has its theoretical roots in his philosophical concept of “overcoming metaphysics”. In social terms, metaphysics was identified with the technology oriented European modernity, represented by the “Americanism” and “Bolshevism”, which, according to Heidegger, were “gripping Europe in a vice”. However, Heidegger’s almost immediate disappointment in the National Socialism didn’t reconcile him with the liberal alternative of the postwar world order. Instead, he committed himself to the development of the “new way of thinking”, designed to pave the way for the future “non metaphysical” world.