Phronimon Volume 5 Number 2 (2004)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/11545

Contents
Anton, J.P.	The special world of Cavafy's poetry: from symbol to reality	1
Antonites, A.	Do animals have moral worth? the contemporary debate with special reference to Aristotle	17
Botha, C.F.	The Sangoma and the MD: The clash of western medical science and traditional medicine in South Africa	39
Hofmeyr, M.	The promise and problems of intercultural philosophy	51
Ladikos, A.	Revisiting the virtue of courage in Aristotle	77
Zistakis, A.H	Difference and participation in Plato's Parmenides	93

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Do animals have moral worth? the contemporary debate with special reference to Aristotle
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities; Antonites, Alex J.
This paper examines reasons why animal existences can be regarded as subjects of moral concern. This debate is examined in conjunction with contemporary discussion on this issue, with Aristotle's thinking on animals in the background. The change in thought brought about by thinking on sentience is taken account of. The issue whether animals are moral agents like humans, as argued in Aristotle and contemporary thinkers, is addressed. In particular the recent views of Bekoff and Cohen are examined. With reference to Irvin and Bekoff, the moral relevance of cognitive capacities in animals is considered. The article concludes that higher capacities, especially self consciousness, are indeed morally relevant to the issue.
The special world of Cavafy's poetry : from symbol to reality
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) Anton, John P.; South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities
The essay focuses on the literary theme of nostos, as it was handled in post-Homeric poetry, especially the nostos of Odysseus concerning "the sweet day of return" and the pangs of nostalgia. The occasion in this essay is C. P. Cavafy's well known poem "Ithaka". It shows how the central emotion of nostos has been altered in leading works of post-classical poetry and replaced with a quest for the post-Ithaka voyage of Odysseus ending for Dante in the Purgatorium and for Tennyson in unspecified transatlantic explorations. Nor was Kazantzakis an excepion to this altering of nostos when he had Odysseus' last move end with his death on the iceberg. The post-Homeric rejection of Ithaka as the center of nostos and of Odysseus' voyage has dominated the "Ulysses theme". It also transformed the hero's post-Ithaka adventures by placing the legendary hero outside the original Greek perimeter.
Difference and participation in Plato's parmenides
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) Zistakis, Alexandar H.; South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities
In this paper we are examining two crucial conceptions, and therefore also problems, of the Platonic corpus; conceptions of difference and participation that establish, constitute and structure his entire thought (regardless of relative differences between particular phases of its historical development). These conceptions are examined in their intertwinement starting from the Parmenides as the primary evidence of their status and relationship in Plato. In the course of our examination, that is through the analysis of the concept of the Sudden or the Instant, a third extremely important conception emerges and acquires shape: the Platonic conception of time, which we take to be representative of the overall Greek notion and understanding of temporality. Finally, from within such conceptual framework one recognizes and acknowledges the totality of Platonic philosophy as above all the thought of liberty.
Revisiting the virtue of courage in Aristotle
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) Ladikos, Anastasios; South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities
Aristotle views the courageous man as someone who endures and fears the right things, for the right motive, in the right manner and at the right time, given that a courageous man feels and acts according to the merits of each case and as reason directs him. Aristotle is guided to some degree by distinctions inherent in ordinary terms but his methodology allows him to recognize states of courage for which no names exist. This paper also deals with Aristotle's unique emphasis on courage as linked to the battlefield, for he considers the concept of courage as one of those many terms that are ambiguous. His insistence that the mean is a "relative mean" and not an objectively calculated mathematical mean, indicates his inclination towards practicality and empiricism. Developing the virtue, courage, in his view remains the shared responsibility of all citizens.
The promise and problems of intercultural philosophy
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) Hofmeyr, H.M. (Henry Murray); South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities
In this paper I sketch the main elements of Heinz Kimmerle's conceptualisation of intercultural philosophy: a new concept of difference that makes possible a new take on "different and equal" which is the foundation for real dialogue. I interrogate the concept of culture in intercultural philosophy, and argue that for the South African context sufficient emphasis must be placed on power relations as they impact on cultures and the legacy of a history of cultural domination. I try to show that Kimmerle's notion of the equality of cultures implies that a particular context is taken seriously as a valid instance of the human condition, and in that sense it is of equal status with all other situations. All "localities" are linked in some way or another. It thus belongs to adequately conceptualising the thoughts and feelings of a specific locality that the need for dialogue should be reflected. A philosophy that negates these shifts would be disqualified as inadequate. The fact that it seeks dialogue is indicative of the experience of an aporia. It is lack, incompleteness, which is universal. I also tentatively propose "contextual philosophy" as a more appropriate name for intercultural philosophy in South Africa.
The sangoma and the md : the clash of western medical science and traditional medicine in South Africa
(South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities, 2004) Botha, Catherine Frances; South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities
The clash between traditional methods of healing and Western medical science in places like South Africa requires that we ask questions like "What is health?" "What does healing mean?" and "What is science?" This paper will first outline the presuppositions contained in the approach of Western medical science towards health and healing, and contrast it with the radically different vision of human being that emerges from some traditional South African medical practices. The author contends that the contemporary move towards the recognition of alternative medicine is concurrent with a shift in Western thinking on the nature of science, healing and human being. Some ideas on how the sangoma and the MD can work together, rather than against each other, are explored.

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