Proč žijeme?

• Authors: Stanislav Vobořil

Title variants

EN

Why do we live?

• Languages of publication: CS

Abstracts

EN

This paper should be understood as an attempt to express an extensive philosophical theme, suitable for a whole book, in a short article. But to complete such a work, at present, is rather too difficult for the author (85) who, when in his youth, was targeted by the communist regime and not allowed to study or work professionally. This paper attempts to interpret the evolution of the transcendental idea of post-mortem existence through history, i.e. how it looked in antiquity, in medieval times and in modern times. In the modern period it is perceived as an over-ruling idea, that is to say a paradigm for perceiving the world and how to think about it. If this paradigm in antiquity was accepted as the power of fate, and in the middle ages as the work of God, who alone had the idea and power for operating the world, then in modern times God has been replaced by a science that has discovered the natural laws operating in the world. Supposedly, then, man is also governed by this over-ruling principle of deterministic causality. But, as we know from the latest microphysical studies, this deterministic principle does not carry weight any more and it is necessary to replace it with a new principle. We must discern a new and more valid paradigm. For this purpose the author offers the hypothesis of an integrative systemic theory and an integrative systemic methodology that permits the world to be operated not only by the causal principle, but also by a holistically-finalistic principle which acts dialectically as an antithesis to the principle of causality. However, acknowledging an integrative systemic theory and an integrative systemic methodology as a new paradigm faces a serious obstacle in the form of a quasi-scientific taboo, which connects the influence of every final cause with an ostensible theological belief. Therefore it is necessary, first of all, to overcome this taboo that acts like the philosophical ‘idols’ in the time of Francis Bacon which restrained the progress of ideas at the turn of the middle ages and modern times. We are now, according to many world-renowned scientists and philosophers, at a similar crossroads between the modern and post-mo­dern periods of history.

Keywords

EN

post-mortem existence; history

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Filosofický časopis (Philosophical Journal)
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 56
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 427-433
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Stanislav Vobořil

• Filosofický časopis, redakce, Filosofický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Jilská 1, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic