Revista de Filosofía de la Universidad de Costa Rica

Florencia Urbina. Los amantes (acrílico, óleo, carbón y tiza sobre tela, 200x100cm, 1999)

2025-05-26T14:45:50-06:00

Dämonisch, das Dämonische (Daemonic, the Daemonic)

2024-12-17T00:44:31-06:00

Due to their prominence in Goethe’s autobiography (Dichtung und Wahrheit, Poetry and Truth) and in Johann Peter Eckermann’s Gespräche mit Goethe (Conversations with Goethe), Goethe scholarship has associated the lexemes dämonisch and das Dämonische with Goethe’s life, and especially with his seemingly divinely inspired artistic productivity. Yet when these lexemes are considered in relation to the ancient Greek term from which they are derived – δαíμων (German: Dämon; English: daimon or daemon) – they appear as part of a larger tradition in European thought that is concerned with non-rational sources of inspiration, as well as with the limits of reason itself. Far from offering a consistent theory or concept of the daemonic, Goethe uses this term and its cognates in various ways: to refer to a mysterious and terrifying force that influences one’s life and seems to operate at the nexus between character and fate; as a poetic topos that depicts the relation between the striving subject and its external world; as the morphological core of the personality associated with the tradition of astrology, a core which is seen as the locus of one’s productivity; and as a name or placeholder for phenomena that escape our rational comprehension. Precisely due to the flexibility and ambiguity of these terms, Goethe’s use of them has enjoyed a rich reception in fields as various as theology, religious studies, and philosophy from the nineteenth century until the present.

Curricular Proposal for the Area of Logic at the School of Philosophy of the University of Costa Rica

2025-02-19T12:20:10-06:00

This work presents a curricular proposal in the area of logic for students of the Universidad de Costa Rica of the bachelor’s in philosophy, and the Bachelor’s in Philosophy Teaching, the licentiate in philosophy and the licentiate philosophy Teaching, as well as for students from other majors. The proposal focuses on strengthening advanced studies in logic and creating a progressive curricular plan that addresses the various areas of study in contemporary logic. To address the above, we propose organizing the curriculum in three different stages according to the abilities, skills and contents of each stage.

Undergraduate and graduate philosophy theses defended at the University of Costa Rica (1944–2024)

2025-02-26T11:19:05-06:00

This paper aims to examine the dissertations presented in the field of philosophy at the University of Costa Rica during the years comprehended between1944 and 2024 in order to contribute with evidence that will broaden the proposal in the book Crítica de los guardianes del reino (Arlekín, 2018) wich argues that the seventies, in the twentieth century, had a significant impact as a new way to produce philosophy in Costa Rica.

Racial Justice and Social Justice in The Indian Revolution

2024-09-05T14:51:30-06:00

This article explores the relationship between racial justice and social justice in the context of Fausto Reinaga’s work, The Indian Revolution (1970). Reinaga’s critique underlines the need for a radical transformation of social structures to achieve true justice. This article uses a Latin American historicist perspective to argue that social justice cannot be fully achieved without racial justice, which would recognize and value the contributions of Indian subjects, in this particular case. Also, the figure of Túpac Amaru is considered as a precursor of social justice, offering a model to address the structural inequalities of Latin American societies.

Moishe Postone’s Theory of the Value-Form versus the Expanded Theory of Production/Reproduction of Life under Capitalism

2025-02-09T11:42:27-06:00

The article approaches two contemporary critical perspectives, partially aligned with the philosophical-social legacy of the Frankfurt School, such as the theory of the value form of Moishe Postone and the theory of dynamic stabilization of Hartmut Rosa. Specifically, he argues that while the first is based on a conceptualization of historically specific social forms that models the structural foundations of the production/reproduction of life in capitalism, the second incorporates materialist concerns that collaborate with the updating of the Marxian critique of political economy based on the main challenges that currently dictates the planetarian condition.

The Legal Discourse of the State of Emergency: A Paradigm of Risk

2024-08-24T11:59:50-06:00

In this research, the paradigm of the atomic bomb is used as an example to understand the changes in sociopolitical and economic dynamics caused by the emergence of imperceptible, self-threatening, and universal risks. This paradigm is utilized to demonstrate the foundation and operationalization of the state of exception under a legal discourse that employs scientific criteria as a mechanism of truth in governmental practice during exceptions. This relationship shows how risk serves as a paradigm to understand the attenuations and changes of the state of exception in Costa Rica, with respect to its scope of application and the exceptional powers of the Executive.

Artificial neural networks as regulatory devices in digital capitalism

2025-03-07T22:40:45-06:00

This paper aims to analyze the role of artificial neural networks in contemporary surveillance and control dynamics, with a particular focus on the epistemic opacity that characterizes them. It argues that, although these technologies have been developed to optimize data extraction in digital capitalism, their opaque and decentralized nature has transformed surveillance into a more subtle and imperceptible phenomenon. Based on this analysis, it is suggested that ANNs can be interpreted within the Foucauldian framework as an update to disciplinary and biopolitical dispositives, expanding the ways in which power is exercised over individuals and populations.

The concept of the person in the philosophy of Robert Spaemann

2024-08-31T15:15:58-06:00

The question about the meaning of being a person has been present throughout the history of humanity, with great concern arising in investigating the origin of the human being, the qualities that make it different from other living beings, among other concerns. For this reason, the present work aims to construct a general review of the concept of person, a central theme in the philosophy of Robert Spaemann. To do this, it is important to review his thought on topics about the nature of being, the reasons why he considers every man as a person and the exclusive qualities of this same one.

The Argument from Marginal Cases: Moral Degradation or Ableist Bias?

2024-09-23T14:51:20-06:00

According to Peter Singer’s perspective, there are marginal human beings. However, the alleged marginality in this argument arises from positioning disabled individuals within a hierarchy of cognitive abilities, under the pretext of the capacities they lack. This is what I seek to challenge by questioning the notion of marginality in the argument, which frames disability as misfortune. To do so, I review some of the most significant critiques of the argument of marginal cases and propose an approach rooted in critical disability studies, through the lens of «ableist bias»

An Analysis of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection from Leibniz’s Perspective

2025-03-02T22:16:20-06:00

Charles Darwin published seven editions of The Origin of Species during his lifetime. Starting from the premise that said book is philosophical, Chapter IV of the work was analyzed here to find the elements underlying the explanation of natural selection throughout the seven editions. Using the criteria established by Leibniz in his Dissertation on the Philosophical Style of Nizolio, it was determined that the philosophical quality in the first edition is intermediate and increased in the following editions, mainly in the third compared to the second.

An Approach to Schoenberg's Twelve-Tone Method from Schopenhauer's Musical Metaphysics

2025-03-07T11:00:07-06:00

This article arises from a fundamental question: How could twelve-tone music be
conceived within Schopenhauer's philosophical system? To answer this, the article begins by
describing the metaphysical and aesthetic foundation of Schopenhauer's musical conception.
Next, some key points of Schoenberg's twelve-tone method are presented, along with its
representation in a musical work. Finally, this compositional method is introduced into that
philosophical system, leading to two mutually exclusive interpretations: 1- Twelve-tone
music as music that produces suffering (related to the minor key). 2- Twelve-tone music as
noise.

Historical Jesus: A Multidisciplinary Perspective and the Aesthetics in Western Images of the Sacred

2024-07-02T09:11:20-06:00

This article examines the discrepancy between the historical Jesus and his representations in Western art, aesthetically transformed to reflect European traits. Drawing on the analyses of John P. Meier and the
historical-critical studies of Antonio Piñero, Fernando Bermejo Rubio, and others, we discuss the ideological role of these images in reinforcing Eurocentric hegemony. Supported by philosophical aesthetics, we argue for the need to reassess these representations in the religious context as well, advocating for an inclusive and historically accurate aesthetic that better reflects cultural diversity and provides a meaningful image of Jesus for marginalized communities.

On the 300th Anniversary of Kant's Birth

2025-05-05T16:33:37-06:00

Readings of Kant's "Anticipations of Perception": The Origin of the Philosophies of Intensity

2025-05-05T16:35:16-06:00

The Kantian table of categories in the Critique of Pure Reason, which posits the a priori conditions of possible experience, has been subject to recurrent criticism regarding its perceived inability to account for the dynamic and contingent nature of empirical experience. This paper undertakes an analysis of the category of quality, as articulated in the «Anticipations of Perception» section, to demonstrate how Kant, by integrating the advancements of infinitesimal calculus and its treatment of variable magnitudes, provides a framework for reevaluating the transcendental apparatus. It is argued that this opening within the transcendental system informed the philosophies of Maimon, Cohen, and Deleuze, who aimed to modify the initial categorial rigidity and enable the transcendental to function as an «intensive spatium». Through a critical examination of the «Anticipations», it is shown that transcendental schematism, rather than being a rigid mechanism of object constitution, can accommodate elements of a «logic of emergence», wherein contingency, non-linear temporality, and intensity play constitutive roles. Consequently, the analysis of the category of quality reveals the hitherto underappreciated plasticity of the Kantian categorial system.

Apocatastasis of the Mind

2025-05-05T16:39:31-06:00

The objective is to assess whether Kant, by grounding the Critique of Pure Reason in the principle of significance, that is, the principle according to which there is no legitimate use of concepts unless they are related to the empirical conditions of their application, returns to an Aristotelian position on the mind. To this end, the cognitive architecture of transcendental dialectic is analyzed, with particular attention to the paralogisms and the consequent dismantling of the Cartesian rational doctrine of the soul. The central question is to determine whether, by overcoming the split between rationalism and empiricism, critical philosophy leans toward idealism or realism. Adopting the second path, the development will be explicitly based on the key postulates of Peter Strawson's classic essay (1975) on the limits of meaning and implicitly on the theoretical framework of Konstantin Pollok's recent work (2017) on the space of normativity—both dedicated to Kant's work. After outlining the elements of the logic of illusion in dogmatic metaphysics, the paper concludes by refuting the hypothesis of an Aristotelian return, as for Kant, the mind is never a substance.

The Fundamental Kantian Aporia

2025-05-05T16:45:09-06:00

My paper regards a Kantian dilemma: either we omit the claim that (p) there are things in itself, because we must omit every assertion without epistemic justification, or we omit the claim, essential from the point of view of the Kantian theory of categories, that (q) categories only have cognitive significance if they inform phenomena (at least one phenomenon). P places Immanuel Kant outside from ontological realism; q places Kant, outside from empiricism. But Kantian epistemology is a realistic empiricism. Therefore, this dilemma poses Immanuel Kant out of Kantianism, that is, it compels Kant to give up Kantian epistemology.

On the Unfinished and Uncertain Paths of Logic

2025-05-05T16:50:59-06:00

In the prologue of the second edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant offers a vision of logic as a science completely finished. Nevertheless, further advances have proven this Kantian idea wrong. The current work offers a discussion of non-monotonic logics and some of the philosophical presuppositions as an example of a formal system of very recent development with an interdisciplinary background that allows us to understand a particular class of inferences of human reasoning. In this sense, non-monotonic logics are a paradigmatic case which shows how distant is logic from being a perfect and finished science.

Post-Darwinian Kantians and Post-Kantian Darwinians: Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Science

2025-05-05T16:55:38-06:00

In this article, I argue that Kant's work influenced the epistemology and science of the 19th and 20th centuries. This influence can be understood in both positive and negative ways. To address this, I consider two paradigmatic cases. The first is Thomas Kuhn, who defined himself as a «post-Darwinian Kantian» in his text, The Road since Structure. Kuhn is interesting in addressing the question of the meaning of this statement. The second case is Ernst Haeckel, who begins by criticizing Kant's dualist philosophy. The influence here is negative if we consider his monistic approach.

The Sensibility of the Subject as a Condition of Its Freedom: A Counterpoint Between Kant and Schiller

2025-05-05T16:59:54-06:00

The philosophy of German idealism is influenced by the French Revolution, not only in its political dimension but also in the epistemological one. This article addresses the latter aspect, focusing on Friedrich Schiller´s aesthetics, highlighting how it becomes the former, as they are dialectically related. Consequently, the debate centers on how aesthetics constitutes an enlightened subjectivity. Schillerian subjectivity is studied through the role of autonomy, as it is fundamental to human freedom. Such a role implies a moral imperative, that is, an ethics aligns with the Enlightenment process marking the transition from the Medieval to the Moden era. Therefore, education becomes a central element in civic formation, based on Enlightenment aesthetics.

On the Marital Bond

2025-05-05T17:03:57-06:00

The text presents some of the relations that Foucault maintained with Kant's philosophy starting with the text ‘What is the Enlightenment?’. This text condenses two important elements for Foucault, the problem of authority and the different uses of reason (public and private), which he does not fail to return to in various texts, both in the 1960s and in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Kant's response is also in line with Biester’s text on the need for an authority to sanction marriage. In the 1960s, Foucault takes up the question of marriage again, analysing it under the matrix of regulating sexuality, the offspring of the bourgeois class and its patrimony. It both regulates and liberates the class from the rules of the 18th century. Subsequently, he returns to the question of the government of the self, which implies the use of reason.

Fred Jameson: On the Edge of the Left and the Depths of Time

2025-05-05T16:26:03-06:00

The Aesthetics of Singularity

2025-05-05T15:51:59-06:00

The Depth of Times in Their Singularities: Utopias/Dystopias

2025-05-05T16:01:44-06:00

The Smile of Jameson

2025-05-05T16:07:42-06:00

Utopia in Times of Barbarism

2025-05-05T16:10:32-06:00

Mediation and Totality: Jameson and the Linguistic Turn

2025-05-05T16:14:00-06:00

Although Fredric Jameson's work usually refers us to cultural objects of a literary or artistic nature, the scope of his theorization has reached other important contemporary discussions. Such is the case of the linguistic turn predominant in the field of the Philosophy of history in the last 50 years. His theory of narrative as a socially symbolic act, which adopts structuralist approaches in a dialectical matrix, distanced him from the rising narrativist positions, as well as from positions that do not sufficiently problematize narrative in historical knowledge. This article, in homage to the fundamental North American Marxist theorist, examines this problem in his conception of historiographical narrative, primarily considering his approaches in The Political Unconscious (1981) and The Valences of History (2009).

Fredric Jameson: The Critical Imperative

2025-05-05T16:18:22-06:00

There it is—the idea: justice as utopia

2025-05-05T16:21:41-06:00

In tribute to Fredric Jameson, a few months after his passing, this article explores the social function of utopia in his thought, in dialogue with practices of transitional justice in Guatemala –particularly the Ixil Trial and the testimony of one of its witnesses, Ana de León López. The article argues that, despite the decline of the great revolutionary utopias of the twentieth century, alternative forms of utopian imagination endure. It suggests that certain processes of transitional justice, such as the Guatemalan case, can be understood as sites where the utopian imagination is constructed and reactivated in the sense proposed by Jameson. In these instances, utopia re-emerges from lived experience and from the desire for historicization and justice.