Editorial

Abstract

Dear readers,

in this double issue you can find selection of contributions to the conference Media and Philosophy, which was held on November 25, 2010 at the Faculty of Education. This meeting was organized by Social Sciences and Philosophy Department, Faculty of Education, Charles University in Prague within Jana Kuklová’s project Media as a platform for exploring the world, supported by The Charles University Grant Agency (GA UK 137809). The aim of the conference was to open philosophical view on medium as a unique phenomenon of the contemporary world and to meet experts from various areas of science. We hope that the diversity of contributions will bring you not only new reflections on the media, but also new related questions.

Doc. Jiří Bystřický in his paper addresses question of base of transparency and mediality and their role in human thinking. Iva Gajdošíková shows problems of understanding of one’s self on analysis of Tarkovsky’s work Mirror – reflection, in which “I” becomes as real as it relates to the whole world. Prof. Anna Hogenová highlights Aristotelian antithesis privation to show its role in understanding the world and to point at the lack of such a notion in the contemporary media.

Jana Kuklová deals with the nature of information and shows that the media is empty and their emptiness is urgency for finding a meaning. Proceeding from the view of contemporary political philosophy Vojtěch Mašek is interested in possibilities of contemporary media to serve as an open space for discussion, debates, defends of rights and participation of citizens on decision-making in a democratic society. Margareta Pávková in her paper heads back to the origins of the film and follows its forming as a medium. Klára Pirklová points at the fact that mass media greatly undermined our fundamental ability to distinguish what is essential and what is unimportant.

Martin Soukup devotes his attention to human body as a distinctive artifact and discusses processes as a disciplination and a semiotization in the context of mass culture. Zuzana Svobodová explores question of (non)mediality of philosophy and asks whether philosophy can play the role of a mediator (medium) and whether it is a public matter. Jiří Šlégl introduces Milan Machovec as a master of dialogue helping people to understand the media and our personal labyrinth we live in. Kateřina Vodrážková focuses on the film medium in comparison with photography media and their relationship to the transformation of present thinking.