This issue deals with the problems of contemporary theoretical philosophy, mainly analytical. The title "Foundations and Paradoxes" refers to the dual task of any philosophical theorizing, which includes (a) the search for the ultimate foundations of being and cognition and (b) the opening up of paradoxes hidden in their depths. The issue contains investigations substantially associated with overcoming of some simplified metaphysical models and turning in the direction of action-based, dynamic, pragmatic approaches. We hope that articles by P. Valore, E. Borisov, S. Kuskova, E. Loginov, and K. Mikhailov will be of great interest for all who are concerned with issues of logic, ontology and philosophy of mind, whereas the translations of pioneering works by R. Kane and H. Frankfurt can give a reader a worthwhile introduction into the puzzles of free will and agent-based theory of action.  

The third issue of our Journal opens a new block of subjects and studies, this time regarding epistemology, ontology, and the philosophy of science. The range of materials may seem pretty colorful, but as the authors strongly believe, upon closer examination the reader will be able to see certain internal coherence and meaningful interchanges in these materials.

In particular, the block related to epistemological and ontological issues is of great interest.

The article of A. Shiyan deals with understanding of Husserl's phenomenology, which deviates from the main lines of interpretation of his philosophical system of views. Herewith the author refuses to divide Husserl's thoughts into periods (as it is normally done by researchers) and highlights the ontological and methodological principles of Husserl's phenomenological approach, which seem to be the most promising principles for today's philosophy. The author tries to minimize the text from the point of specific phenomenological terminology and to discuss the informative aspects of the philosophical language. Particular attention is paid to the topical issues of phenomenology and the possibilities for their different interpretations.

The article of T. Shiyan, which attempts to reveal the ontological status of mathematics and science objects, is rather innovative. The article refers to the fact that the meaning of the operation, consisting in the reference to the type of objects still has eluded logical and philosophical reflection and methodological theming. The author considers the years of controversy about the nature and genesis of philosophy, mathematics and science in general, and highlights four basic ontological interpretations of philosophy and science: as a knowledge, as a pool or system of knowledge, a type of certain activity and as a field of expertise or as a social institution.

In the same block we should also refer to the article of V. Kuznetsov, in which the famous ‘rule-following’ paradox formulated by Wittgenstein, receives interesting interpretations from the point of cultural context. For a productive and constructive discussion of the “rule-following” paradox in its various aspects, the author proposes to take advantage of the social relay concept offered by M. A. Rozov. 

The article of A. Maltsev continues the study, first presented in the second issue, related to the problem of subjectness in Russia in the 18th century. Based on example of Andrei Bolotov the attempt to identify the possibility of crystallization of the human inner world, the formation of his sameness is made. It shows the way how through the internal mythology, a story about himself the core of “selfhood” is thought out and thus constituted as a creative act of invention and, in fact, self-creation. The reader is now offered to deal with the second part of this study.

No less curious is the block devoted to the subject of negativity.  Here two papers are published. The article of A. Markov describes how the Greek philosophers of the scientific revolution era, bearing in mind the great heritage and striving to be competitive in the global marketplace of ideas, have radically changed both Platonism and Aristoteliasm. Although this philosophical project might be inspired by various sources, from apophatic theology to the second scholasticism, this study shows that it is completely self-sufficient and is fully based on the reinterpretation of logic and epistemology. The logic turns from the art of working with the idea into the characteristic of thought and the act of thinking is implemented as a negative epistemology.

The subject of negativity is continued by review made by D. Shalaginov, whose text analyses Andrew Culp's work called “Dark Deleuze”, which is the experience of the «negative» reading of the French philosopher's heritage. At present this «anti-connectivist manifesto» is one of the few attempts of radical revision of Deleuze thoughts.  Definitely important act of Culp, focused on the gap with the so-called “canon of joy”, is faced with difficulties that have been highlighted in the review.

Another wonderful review, prepared by A. Tsygurov is made to the book “Kant's Modal Metaphysics” by Nicholas F. Stang, which introduces the reader to the fruits of many years of work, the results of which are impressive: in addition to the fact that the monograph is the first major study in English devoted entirely to Kant's modal metaphysics, it is accurate in the formulation of questions that need to be addressed to Kant's theoretical philosophy. This review will allow Russian-speaking readers interested in reconstructions of Kant's philosophy using modern philosophical tools, to familiarize themselves with both major themes of the book and the author's methodology.

The same section contains а review prepared by G. Korayev, which is dedicated to a nontrivial view of the creative heritage of M. Bakhtin. It is valuable not only from the point of return of a remarkable thinker to the native ground (through the revival of interest in his ideas), but also due to unexpected reversal in the presentation of possible views on his work in the modern humanitaristics in general, and study of Bakhtin thoughts in particular.

A special place in the issue belongs to the translation of Francisco de Vitoria, prepared by S. Porfiriyeva. From it we learn primarily about the magical competence of demons in representation of the right honourable medieval theologians, but also we can learn from this work, information about the state of scientific and magical knowledge of the historical era.

We sincerely hope that reading of this issue will be exciting and fun and the reader can find something useful.

Diana Gasparyan

The second issue of our Journal continues to examine the key issues of political and social philosophy. The topic of this issue contains a direct reference to the work of Jean Starobinski Action and Reaction. The Adventure of One Couple (Action et réaction. Vie et aventures d'un couple, 1999, Russian edition in 2008): in the variety of specific topics of the issue's materials, the dynamics of these concepts are clearly revealed, which, no doubt, can be considered one of the key ones for political philosophy during the 18-20 centuries. Articles by Jose-Luis Villacanhas Berlangi (Complutense University, Madrid), Vadim Chalii (Kant BFU, Kaliningrad), and Andrey Maltsev (independent researcher, Perm) analyze key aspects of modern political thought, from near-modernity to the reconstruction of contextual relations in the (self)description Andrey Bolotov.

In the discussion of the fundamental work, The Transformation of the World by Jürgen Osterhammel (English translation in 2014, original German edition in 2009), the possibilities of global history and its borders are explored — in this case, on the example of the 19 century; Tatiana Saburova (Indiana University, Bloomington; HSE, Moscow) and Andrey Teslya (BFU named after I. Kant, Kaliningrad; TOGU, Khabarovsk) participate in the discussion.

The historical and theoretical aspects of political philosophy in their unity are considered in the third Lecture on Political Law by Donoso Cortés (1836), which is presented in the translation by Yuri Vasilenko (HSE, Perm), who accompanied the publication with a detailed introductory article. The Preface of the translation editor Alexander Marey (HSE, Moscow) is devoted to the concepts of action and reaction in the philosophy of Donoso Cortés.

The next part is devoted to reviews. The review by Maria Marey (HSE, Moscow) on the collection of political texts by Alexander Herzen 1847-1869, the review by Maria Steinman (RSUH, Moscow) on the collective monograph Theology and Politics. Power, Church, and text in the Visigothic kingdoms (V - early VIII C.) and Alexander Pavlov's review (HSE, Moscow) on Disputes on Democracy by J.-V. Muller. Anna Winkelman, a student at the HSE (Moscow), offers us her thoughts on the book Sophie's Choice by U. Styron.

The final section of the journal contains a chronicle of the HSE's VIII International conference Ways of Thinking, Modes of Speaking, held in April 2017, as well as an information letter about the IX conference of the same name, which will traditionally be held in April of the upcoming year.

Andrey Teslya

The first number of our Review is dedicated to Political Philosophy. Almost all the authors centred their attention on the cluster of concepts such as the State, the Revolution, the Sovereignty, the Commonwealth either Republic as a particular type of the socio-political organisation. The theoretical and methodological approaches to the State interpretation became the principal point of D. Negro Pavon's article and, at the same time, for the fragment of Alessandro Passerin d'Entreves' book, translated into Russian for the first time. The same problems discuss in their book reviews Maria Marey and Greg Yudin. On the contrary, the articles by Richard Bourke, Gulnara Bayazitova and Andrey Teslya have more historical than theoretical orientation. The first author discusses the concepts of the old order and the Revolution; the G.Bayazitova's article stresses some points of the political theory of J.Bodin and Fr.Hautman, and Andrey Teslya emphasises the peculiarities of the socio-political thought of M.Dragomanov - Ukrainian thinker of the later XIX cent.