The study analyzes relations between memory, identity and reality erosion in Paul Verhoeven’s film ‘Total Recall’. Paul Verhoeven intentionally makes his film a text open to the greatest variety of independent interpretations and not restrictive in meaning in order to render reality erosion prima facie within the mind of the film’s main character Douglas Quaid portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reality erosion is a transgression of perception of reality by virtue of an elimination of meta-knowledge, i.e. knowledge which supports memories which (...) constitute the core of the identity and tells which memories are true and which ones are not. One of the possible interpretations of film ‘Total Recall’ shows the significance of the memories constituting the core of the identity: thus, the implanted into the mind of the main character of the film memories make him think that he is Douglas Quaid and identify himself as a construction builder, i.e. a member of working class; by-turn this makes the conditions for Douglas Quaid’s empathy to the Martian workers who are discriminated and oppressed and repressed by authoritarian governor of Mars Cohaagen who personify capitalism, and his fight against the governor and his order. (shrink)

This article argues that legal discourses about robots are framed within a limiting ‘human paradigm.’ While this is not a specific failure of lawyers, it has significant consequences for law in a digital future. This visualising of robots has its origins in mainstream twentieth-century science fictional tropes of artificial beings. This article begins by identifying the predominant science fiction tropes regarding artificial beings as a source of anxiety for human futures, as located in discrete bodies and as separate from humans. (...) The article then traces this ‘human paradigm’ in robot law scholarship. It is shown how a focus on embodiment and separation disrupts appreciation of the emerging partial disembodiment and hybridity of digital autonomy. There is a continual sense of needing to keep robots and humans distinct and separate, which is not how digital futures are manifesting. (shrink)

The article proposes historical and philosophical inquiry of Edit Stein’s participation in the Gottingen Circle. Firstly, the author analyses such biographical source as correspondence, autobiography, philosophical review, etc. This material formed the background to the writing of the thesis Edith Stein in the phenomenological context. Secondly, exploration of the Edith thesis «On the problem of empathy» starts to work out the notion «Einfühlung» and study «acts of empathy». The act of empathy is a multi-stage cognition that give some kind of (...) human experience. For clarification, Edith investigates the phenomenon of human happiness. She supposed that empathy helps to understand happiness of others, as your own mental acts. The chief method of this research is phenomenological reduction that reveals the psychophysical structure of the Person, the main theme of the study of Edit Stain. A special role in the article is devoted to comparing the translations of the concept «Einfühlung» from German, English and Polish languages. This article is the first exploration step in the realistic phenomenology of Edit Stein. (shrink)

The correspondence between the themes of identity and self-knowledge developed in Mozart’s operas with the inner intentions of the composer’s life way is demonstrated. It is emphasized that, on the one hand, Mozart re-melted the variety of forms of the collective in musical traditions into a unique one, connected with the realization of their life world, while imitating and perfect mastery of the rules of composition. On the other hand, despite the huge array of works written in various genres, it (...) was the opera genre that was especially close to it with its play nature. In his opera works Mozart was fully aware of the wealth of his own individuality and was able to fuse it harmoniously with perceived stylistic elements of his epoch. The composer has achieved an amazing harmony between musical and poetic texts for the embodiment of his musical plan. Mozart used various expressive means - rhythm, tonal shades, etc. - to express the characters, experiences, passions and feelings of different characters. All of them in their diversity, the organic nature of the mutual influence of the instrumental and vocal components, the ironic removal of obsolete opera stamps create the effect of meeting with an extraordinary aesthetic integrity. The answer to the question of the nature of the human being is achieved in this integrity of diversity. (shrink)