Language, Ecology and the Stories We Live By: The Ecolinguistics of Tholkappiyam

The term “ecolinguistics” is relatively a recent discussion with Eliar Haugen (1972) bringing up the concept of “The ecology of Language”. Since then, various methods and approaches to the field have been suggested to study the language-ecology interaction, primarily from the west. As a result, ecolinguistics is conceived as a new-born western discipline. However, Ecolinguistics, as the term suggests is the specialized study of language-ecology interaction. The “feeling” of the existence of the necessary relationship between language and ecology even before makes us ask the question if the concept of ecolinguistics has not been discussed by linguists before 20th Century. The ancient Tamil linguistic treatise called Tholkappiyam (dated between 6th BCE to 8th CE) presents the fundamental nature of the relationship between ecology, language and culture through the theory called Tinai. The paper primarily draws attention to look into the linguistic philosophy of Tholkappiyam through an ecological perspective. From the ecolinguistic perspective, the paper analyses Tinai based on three criteria: Ecosophy, Aspects of Language-ecology-culture interaction and the theoretical framework of Tinai. Having analysed from the aforementioned criteria, the paper advocates that the framework of Tinai can contribute to the ecolinguistic studies parallel to the philosophies of Edward Sapir (1912) and Hagege (1985).

Linguistic Philosophy in the Context of the Anthropological Turn of Culture

The article considers the role of the ideas of linguistic philosophy in the context of the anthropological turn of culture that happened in the middle of the 20th century. Culture has constantly been developing on the horizon of man, and all its initiations have always met at the point of “life of man”, which is impossible without language as an essential anthropological attribute of man. The purports of linguistic philosophy (ordinary language philosophy) are relevant as never before. The study presented is based on the phenomenology of Nietzsche’s ideas of returning a new European thought to the origins of modern culture –the idea of a sovereign individual, which is determined by power over himself and his destiny, the ideas of the representatives and founders of linguistic philosophy, the slogan by I. Kant “Sapere aude!” (“Dare to think for yourself!”), on the historical excursus concerning the origin of the term “anthropological turn”. The anthropological turn in the culture of the 20th century together with the purports of linguistic philosophy brought back and developed further the main idea of new European culture – the idea of the self-worth of life, individuality, and freedom. These events gave a new value meaning to this idea.

Divine Action and Divine Identity in Christianity and Islam

The chapter seeks to answer the question about whether the God Christians worship is the same as that of Islam. It argues that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God and under certain agreed descriptions worship the same God. It explores and defends this notion philosophically, in conversation with recent analytic philosophy, linguistic philosophy, and recent studies of the relation of Christianity and Islam. It offers a rejection of the author’s previous view that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God but worship different Gods. It concludes by analyzing the political and theological consequences of this view, and suggests a retrieval of a natural theology at the heart of the American political project to make more room for Muslims in American society.

A new Reading of “The Phenomenology of Spirit”:Brandom on Hegel

Robert Brandom in his recently published commentaries to “The Phenomenology of Spirit” tries to re-actualize Hegel’s legacy, linking his speculative dialectics to the twenti­eth-century linguistic philosophy and pragmatism, with the ideas of G. Frege, L. Wittgen­stein, and W. Sellars. His principal focus is on the issue of “the struggle for recognition”. In terms of “mutual” and “symmetric” recognition as a terminus ad quem of social com­munication, Brandom interprets the reciprocal confirmation of the normative statuses of individual subjects acting as equal participants in a collective “game of giving and asking for reasons”. This state of mutual recognition, Brandom maintains, can be achieved through overcoming the subjectivist alienation and egotism characteristic of the moder­nity. The author argues that in his discussion of this issue the American philosopher con­fuses two key concepts used by Hegel in “The Phenomenology of Spirit”: Entfremdung (“alienation”) and Entäußerung (“externalization”). The author claims that by emphasiz­ing the negative side of Entfremdung, Brandom overlooks the meaning of Entäußerung (objectification), which, according to E. Ilyenkov, “is essential to the very definition of ‘Spirit’”.

GILBERT RYLE IN THE HISTORY OF ARISTOTELIAN SOCIETY OF XX CENTURY

The report is devoted to philosophical legacy of Gilbert Ryle and its importance for reflecting the history of the Aristotelian Society in London -a unique intellectual environment where for more than a hundred years in the process of annual discussions, philosophers have had the opportunity to test their own philosophical ideas. Ryle justified the ideas of linguistic philosophy that became the subject of active discussions in the Aristotelian Society during the 40–50s of the XX century, especially when G. Ryle was the President of the Society in 1945–1946. On the example of the philosophical ideas of G. Ryle the author analyzes the intellectual context of the formation the linguistic philosophy in the XX century.

4. Modern legal positivism

This chapter explores the works of some of the leading exponents of contemporary legal positivism: H. L. A. Hart, Hans Kelsen, Joseph Raz, Jules Coleman, Scott Shapiro, and others. Hart staked out the borders of modern legal theory by applying the techniques of analytical (and especially linguistic) philosophy to the study of law. Kelsen may be the least understood and most misrepresented of all legal theorists. To the extent that he insisted on the separation of law and morals, what ‘is’ (sein) and what ‘ought to be’ (sollen), Kelsen may legitimately be characterized as a legal positivist, but he is a good deal more. Raz argues that the identity and existence of a legal system may be tested by reference to three elements: efficacy, institutional character, and sources. Thus, law is autonomous: we can identify its content without recourse to morality.

INFLUENCE OF LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY ON ANALYTICAL JURISPRUDENCE THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF H. L. A. HART

This article discusses the influence of emerging linguistic philosophy theories in the 20th century on the development of analytical jurisprudence through an examination of the way those theories influenced the legal philosopher H. L. A. Hart. Although Hart is significantly influenced by linguistic philosophy, his legal theory could not have been developed solely with it. This is evidenced by Hart’s disownment of the essay Ascription of Responsibility and Rights, his attempt to employ ideas from ordinary language philosophy in the context of law. Hart’s theoretical development shows that he was above all not a linguistic, but a legal philosopher; and that analytical jurisprudence, albeit influenced by linguistic philosophy, depends on aspects beyond it.