David Bartosch

[186 pages] Just as the six branches of a snow crystal converge in regular proportions toward their common center, the six contributions to this book point toward a future philosophy of cosmic life. In this sense, this edited volume represents a multidisciplinary and transcultural polylogue of distinguished authors from three continents, which aims to establish highly innovative perspectives and open new frontiers of developing philosophical reflections and scientific foundations for the emergence of a common cosmic consciousness, for an integral ecology, and for a cooperative planetary civilization of humanity. John B. Cobb, Jr. uses a process-philosophical foundation to describe life as living events expressing novelty and the cosmos as a process of self-enriching and self-evolving “Life Itself.” Chandra Wickramasinghe unfolds his scientific and philosophical perspective on cosmic life in twelve successive steps, offering a wide range of arguments and insights that support an up-to-date theory of panspermia. Attila Grandpierre presents the "Cosmic Life Principle" and the comprehensive science based upon it that is inextricably linked to the healthy and cooperative civilization, to the biological laws of nature, to the laws of logic, to the uplifting of the well-being of people and ecological communities. Chunyou Yan introduces the approach of his holographic philosophy, according to which the universe must be understood as a vast living entity, every aspect of which represents life. Bei Peng shows that the proportions of energy meridians in traditional Chinese medicine correspond to musical intervals, and on this basis she demonstrates the analogy of the human body to macrocosmic phenomena. David Bartosch offers an examination of three important systematic foundations for a poly-contextural, transcultural philosophy of cosmic life with roots in Greek, Chinese, South and West Asian, and European traditions of thought.

In this chapter, important transcultural and multi-civilizational foundations for a comprehensive philosophy of cosmic life are presented from a systematic and at the same time historical perspective. An “anacrusis” regarding the origin of the philosophical term ‘cosmic life’ is followed by systematic groundwork in relation to Gotthard Günther’s concepts of poly-contexturality and trans-classical science. These are extended and complemented by the views of other thinkers. Against this background, the new term ‘panenbiotism’ (“all-in-life-doctrine”) is introduced. Like ‘cosmic life,’ this term is then used as the basis for a transcultural comparative discussion of positions from ancient Hellenic and Chinese contexts, from South and West Asia, and from Europe. This discussion is organized in the form of three main sections which correspond to three basic themes concerning ‘cosmic life.’ Each of these is developed along the trajectories of related subtopics. In this sense, the first main section presents several views from various times and places in the context of which (cosmic) life is seen as an expressed principle of incessant self-(re)creation through metabolism and partial self-consumption. In the second main section, the transcultural comparative angle is applied to multiple perspectives and variations on the theme of cosmic life as an integral feature of a vast or infinite universe. Finally, the third main section presents family-resemblant views of cosmic life as an integral aspect of cosmic ‘light.’ This last section also links the discussion with some unorthodox and very innovative hypotheses of our time. The main thesis of this chapter is that a future philosophy of cosmic life must draw on a variety of philosophical traditions from different civilizations and, in a spirit of unrestricted openness, translate the ultimate inexhaustibility of all scientific endeavors into a more productive intellectual reality within the expanded scope of a new kind of trans-classical concept of science.

Der Text "Sing-li-tchin-thsiouan die wahrhafte Darstellung der Naturphilosophie (erster Theil)" kann als erstes Dokument einer transkulturellen abendländisch-chinesischen Perspektive im Bereich der Tierphilosophie gelten. Es handelt sich um die deutsche Übersetzung (1840) eines Mandschu-Texts durch Hans Conon von der Gabelentz. Obwohl für das Werk eines Chinesen erachtet, geht die Schrift auf einen chinesischen Urtext (1753) des Jesuiten Alexandre de Lacharme zurück. Eher implizit und allusiv begegnen sich in den inhaltlichen und übersetzungsgeschichtlichen Zusammenhängen cartesianische, neokonfuzianische und mandschurische Denkelemente. Im ersten Teil des Beitrags erfolgt eine hinführende Analyse der translationsgeschichtlichen Kontexte sowie relevanter Aspekte neokonfuzianischer Philosopheme. Danach geht es im zweiten Teil um die tierphilosophisch relevanten Positionen im neunten Kapitel des Textes aus vergleichender Analyseperspektive. Abschließend wird das in diesen Betrachtungen und Hintergründen angelegte weiterführende Potential für die Entwicklung einer transkulturellen Tierphilosophie erörtert. [The text "Sing-li-tchin-tsiouan die wahrhafte Darstellung der Naturphilosophie (erster Theil)" can be regarded as the first document of a transcultural European-Chinese perspective in the field of animal philosophy. It presents a German translation (1840) of a Manchu text by Hans Conon von der Gabelentz. Although thought to be the work of a Chinese author, the text traces its origins to a Chinese urtext (1753) written by the Jesuit Alexandre de Lacharme. Rather implicitly and allusively, Cartesisian, Neo-Confucian, and Manchurian elements of thought intersect in the text’s contents and translation history. In the first part of the paper, a preparatory analysis of the translation-historical contexts and relevant aspects of Neo-Confucian philosophical lore is provided. Then, from a perspective of comparative analysis, the second part deals with the positions relevant to animal philosophy in the ninth chapter of the text. Finally, the further potential for the development of a transcultural animal philosophy that can be traced in these reflections and backgrounds is discussed.]

This article provides a transcultural, “transversal” investigation. It starts from the philosophical problem of knowing non-knowing. In chapters 1 and 2, the first expressions of this problem by Confucius and Socrates are considered. Against this background, new transcultural working concepts are developed. A new key term to be established here is that of an “implicate logic”. It refers to the reflection of unity of unity and difference and therefore to the very condition of the possibility of (differentiating) thinking as such. In chapters 3 and 4, this train of thought is further developed under the influence of Nico- laus Cusanus, by reflecting on the first chapter of the Daodejing, and in view of important remarks by Niklas Luhmann. In chapter 5, the outcome is related to the idea of transversal reason in the philosophy of Wolfgang Welsch. As the most basic principle of (self-referential) thinking, implicate logic is to be discerned from Aristotelian (or similar traditions of ) logic and Hegelian dialectics—albeit both are being tied to the former’s principle in one way or the other. In the end, an introductory outlook of a comprehensive work by the present author provides the starting point to validate the logical foundations of knowing non-knowing as a methodological foundation to further develop the fields of transcultural-comparative, trans-comparative, and global philosophy.

In this paper, particular key aspects of the philosophies of Plotinus and Wang Yangming have been analysed comparatively on the basis of important passages of their works. The method used for this investigation can be defined as that of transversal comparative induction, in which the focus is more on working out the details of affinities and similarities. As this means a first step in an encompassing systematic context, differences will be introduced more briefly. The present investigation aims to provide a foundation for a more differentiating and therefore complementing second part, which will consider other contents and topics in both philosophies. The present analysis is performed in three systematic steps and with regard to three basic philosophical ideas: (1) the idea that human consciousness is a central medium in the universal process and interrelatedness of (biological) life as a whole; (2) the idea that the self-unfoldment of reality represents a meta-cognitive process beyond the limits of subjectivity and finite consciousness; and (3) the idea that it is our major task to perfect and know ourselves by means of a “return” to the highest underlying foundation of this universal process. In their own ways, Plotinus and Wang Yangming both show that by enfolding human reflexivity toward the ineffable source of all reality in thought, feeling, human activity, and natural processes, namely by actively pursuing the path of moral and intellective perfection, we become fulfilled mediators of a universal process and of that which all of it represents.

826 pages] Nicolaus Cusanus und Wáng Yángmíng philosophieren an der Grenze möglichen Denkens. Die Komparatistik der basalen Problemhorizonte und Kernthemen ihrer epochalen Reflexionen weist auf die Unterschiede beider Philosophiekulturen hin. Als wichtige Vordenker der Moderne entwickeln beide jeweils eine umfassende Logik der Selbsterschließung. Dabei werden unabhängig voneinander acht komparable Problemhorizonte ersichtlich: umfassende Kreativität, menschliche Selbstreflexivität, die Unsagbarkeit des Grundes der Sprache, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen des Wissens, Selbstperfektion, Gewissen, Moralität und Liebe. Mittels einer innovativen Reflexionsbegrifflichkeit werden zentrale Paradigmen, Begriffe und Metaphern beider Denker umfassend analysiert, erstmals aufeinander abgebildet und beispielhaft erschlossen. [Nicolaus de Cusa and Wáng Yángmíng philosophize at the limit of possible thought. The comparative study of the fundamental problem horizons and core themes of their epochal philosophies points to the differences between the two philosophical cultures. As important pioneers of modernity, both develop a comprehensive logic of self-development. In the process, eight independently comparable problem horizons emerge: comprehensive creativity, human self-reflexivity, the ineffability concerning the foundation of language, the possibilities and limits of knowledge, self-perfection, conscience, morality, and love. Using an innovative terminology, central paradigms, concepts, and metaphors of both philosophies are comprehensively analyzed, mapped onto each other for the first time, and made accessible in an exemplary manner.

This article outlines a new theory of humor. The concept of humor is developed in the sense of five dialectical levels, respectively, sequential phenomenalities of humorous consciousness. These range from a level of most inferior (hurtful) humor up to a stage of most sublime humor. Systematically speaking, humor is viewed from an enhanced perspective of transcendental philosophy, namely as a medium of self-unfolding practical reason. It is considered as a complementary potency to the practical force of the latter’s regulative principle, and it fulfils several important functions. The first section provides basic definitions of concepts like humor, sublimity, comicality, etc. Here, the five phenomenalities of humor are introduced. The second section explores and develops these contents more in detail. Some references to the German-speaking tradition in the philosophy of humor provide further input for discussion. The third section presents a thought experiment. Imaginary humorous reactions of Socrates to ridicule and hostility are analyzed in the sense of the present theory.