The 25th volume in the series Praxiology: The International Annual of Practical Philosophy and Methodology brings a praxiological perspective to current issues facing our society. In sixteen brand-new essays, a team of international scholars expands praxiology beyond the borders of its historically philosophical application and uses it to address real-world problems in a variety of fields. The volume outlines new approaches and reflections on traditional praxiological method, and then applies these developments as tools in fields as diverse as ethics, psychology, sociology, economics, management, and entrepreneurship. Grounded in the tradition of the Polish praxiologist Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886-1981), the 25th volume, entitled Praxiological Essays: Texts and Contexts, highlights the rich mosaic of issues perceived in the practice of human action, and carries a tradition of Praxiological inquiry forward into our contemporary philosophy, methodology, and social sciences.
First published in 1967, Polish Analytical Philosophy presents the first comprehensive study of Polish analytical philosophy that has been written in Polish or English, traces the origin of the Polish analytical movement, it's development in the period between the World Wars, and its decline after the Second World War. The book shows that although inspired by the British movement and in close touch with the Vienna circle, Polish philosophy acquired its own distinctive character. Analytical philosophy in Poland was actively engaged in logic and language but tended rather to be interested in constructing philosophical doctrines which attempted to resolve traditional problems of ontology and epistemology. The author contrasts leading representatives of analytical philosophy in Britain and in Poland, and his study will be a valuable addition to the literature of the analytical trend in Europe.
Noting in this connection that KotarbiIiski's assumptions were proved true many years later, and that increasingly representatives of various scientific disciplines have come to observe paradigms of efficiency which had often tended to be ignored; empirical studies involving a large concentration of personnel, financial resources and equipment are now guided by the principles of efficiency and economy. In his second paper Kotarbiriski referred to Alfred Espinas, the French philosopher and sociologist, and to other authors who repre sented the praxiological viewpoint, together with that of the general systems approach. KotarbiIiski was the first to accept a theory more general than praxiology, which he termed the theory of complexes. He considered one of its representatives to be A. Bogdanov (1873-1928), the Marxist theorist and author of Tectology. A General Theory of Organization (first written in Russian, published in the German language version as Allgemeine Organizationslehre in the 1920's, and recently translated into English in Canada). KotarbiIiski also realized that he was not the only praxiologist, that even the name of the dis cipline had been used earlier by various authors not aware of the work of others.
This volume explores two traditions in practical philosophy: action theory, which concerns the nature of motivation for human action, and praxiology, the study of human action. By bringing different perspectives together, the volume strives to contribute to the international debate on theories of reasons for action as a philosophy of action.The volume consists of three main parts. The first part, "Reasons for Action," bridges the gap between reasons for action theories and praxiology. The second part of the volume, titled "Theories of Action," explores philosophical approaches to action. Finally, in the third part, "Applications," the contributors show several ways of applying praxiological ways of thinking and acting to the problems of reflection assessment, solving action incompleteness, and knowledge management.The ultimate goal of this volume is to broaden the scientific view of action: to establish a perspective on action that is permeated by moral theories on the one hand, and accounts focused on efficiency and economy of action on the other hand. This work is the newest volume in Transaction's Praxiology series.
This volume investigates the ways emerging technologies in the fields of robotics and bio-robotics are influencing society. It necessarily considers both philosophical and technological study of robots, including what it means for robots to exist as good and moral entities, and how they benefit humans and enhance their quality of life. Contributors address artificial intelligence and social functions as well as technical matters. Chapters are wide-ranging, and consider robots in science fiction; the need for designers to create moral robots; specific technology; and the development of biological robots. Also addressed are robotic technologies already enhancing human bodies, such as exoskeletons that allow paraplegics to walk. The contributors foresee robots becoming involved not only in mundane domestic tasks such as washing dishes, but also in providing health care to the disabled and companionship to the elderly. This volume offers exciting philosophical reflections that unveil new connections between robotics and praxiology and their practical applications.
Volume l0 in this distinguished series addresses two distinct but interrelated philosophical movements, which exemplify different approaches to the study of ethics. Praxiology, an unique Central European philosophical movement, embraces the study of purposeful and conscious action and the elements essential to each action, act, and causative act. Pragmatism, an uniquely American philosophical movement, was founded by Charles S. Peirce and William James, and is based on the meaning of conceptions, defined in their practical bearings that guides actions and measures them by practical consequences of belief. The chapters in this volume are grouped in a section on Praxiology and one on Pragmatism. Each section defines the historical origins of their respective philosophical movements, describes their methodology, and interrelates their impact on "human conduct" and contemporary society. The section on Praxiology presents for the first time in English a seminal study, "The ABC of Practicality," written in l972 by Tadeusz Kotarbinski, the father of modern Polish praxiology. Wojciech W. Gasparski offers an interpretative analysis of Praxiology. Daryl Koehn explores the nature of practical judgment and Timo Airaksinen applies praxiological efficiency in professional ethics. The section devoted directly to Pragmatism includes scholarly contributions by eight academics on the relevance of pragmatism to management (Juan Fontrodona), business ethics (Sandra Rosenthal), law ( Fred Kellogg), and pragmatic inquiry (F. Byron Nahser). The contribution of Max Scheler to pragmatism (Manfred Frings) and the influence of William James on business ethics(Dennis McCann) are groundbreaking contributions to the study of pragmatism. The volume also includes a teaching model for a classroom application of pragmatism (Jack Ruhe), and concludes with an evaluation of the renaissance of interest in pragmatism in Europe (Jacek Sojka). Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V., professor of management, DePaul University, is past president of the Society for Business Ethics. He is co-editor of Human Action in Business (Vol. 5) and Business Students Focus on Ethics (Vol. 8) of the Praxiology series. F. Byron Nahser is chairman and CEO, Globe Group, Chicago, the originator of Pathfinder Pragmatic Inquiry Method and author of Learning to Read the Signs: Reclaiming Pragmatism in Business. Wojciech W. Gasparski is professor of humanities at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, and editor-in-chief of the Praxiological series. He has published numerous volumes and over two hundred articles and conference papers.
The Handbook of Philosophy of Management addresses the philosophical foundations of management in theory and practice. It covers established branches of philosophy, such as aesthetics, epistemology, moral philosophy, political and social philosophy, philosophy of education, philosophy of practice, and philosophy of science. The Handbook’s broad scope maps out the field and provides a forum where philosophy can be meaningfully applied to the study of management in all its forms. The original, peer-reviewed research published here sheds new light on the complexities of management theory and practice, beyond what hitherto has been possible with the sole application of the social sciences. As philosophy provides a meta-framework for moving beyond paradigm fragmentation within management research and education, this allows researchers and practitioners to find harmony (and discord) in the perspectives revealed by a philosophical lens.
The study of business ethics seeks to understand business institutions, practices and activities in light of normative behavior. The ethical concern is for the rightness or wrongness of human action. Business Students Focus on Ethics brings together essays written by twenty-five MA and MBA students from seven countries in Europe, North and South America, and the Pacific Rim. Collectively, they give us an applied business ethics framework, one with international dimensions.Business Students Focus on Ethics achieves a number of objectives: it recognizes ethics as legitimate content in graduate level studies in business world wide; seriously examines specific ethical concerns by young managers; and reflects on these concerns from across cultural and geographic borders. It also demonstrates the quality of their analysis and recommendations.The essays in this volume are arranged into four interrelated groups. The first group, "Praxiological and Ethical Framework," examines issues of human action from both the theory of human action (i.e., praxiological) and ethical dimensions. The section group of essays, "Social Issues-Compensation and Labor," discuss applications of praxiological and ethical principles in relation to the ethical responsibilities of business. The third group discusses "Ethical Issues in Health Care" from three different cultural perspectives. The fourth group is a series of "Corporate Case Studies." This volume may be seen as a companion to Volume 5 of the Praxiology series, Human Action in Business and will be of interest to business people, economists, policy makers, social scientists and students of philosophy and ethics.
For years now, leadership studies have emphasized functional social psychology approaches that reduce leadership to a couple of traits, styles, or recipes that supposedly give us the steps to follow when leading. The latter have taught us a lot, but are not enough to cope with the immense challenges of leading in a chaotic, intricate, complex and nonsensical world. This book compiles essays on alternative leadership theory from leading authors who have been defending unorthodox approaches to leadership. As such, it provides students, academics and researchers with options in terms of leadership theory. If mainstream approaches to leadership are not enough, then why do we not look for novel and different ones? Thus, this book is an effort to develop sui generis leadership theory, by exploring leadership from novel lenses from the arts and humanities, sciences, and sociology, as well as other social sciences.
