Arno Ros
Encyclopedia
Arno Ros is a German philosopher and Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg in Magdeburg
, Germany
.
, literature
and philosophy
in Hamburg
, Madrid
(Spain
) and Coimbra
(Portugal
). He received his doctorate in 1971 for the dissertation On the theory of literary narrative. He earned his habilitation
in Saarbrücken
as an assistant of Kuno Lorenz
. The title of his habilitation thesis was Philosophy as a methodological critique of meaning. In subsequent years, Ros was a visiting professor in Hamburg
, Saarbrücken
and Campinas
(Brazil
).
for Theoretical Philosophy
at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. His main focus is concentrated on systematic and historical problems of argumentation theory
with special attention to the theory of concepts (the concept of concept) as well as systematic and historical questions of philosophy of biology
and psychology
, with particular reference to the philosophical aspects of the mind-matter problem.
Among his students, he is best known and appreciated for his conceptually accurate argumentation and teaching. In his lectures he takes particular care to examine complicated problems by clearly distinguishing between their logical-methodological and historical components.
) as an expert in argumentation theory
and in this field he has researched the concepts of concept, of foundation, of explanation as well as of a typology of explanations (which are distinguished by the different types of causes that they provide). From 1989 to 1990, Ros published Foundation and Concept, a three volume monograph on the concept of concept that spans the history of philosophy from its beginnings in ancient Greece to contemporary Analytical Philosophy.
's later work, that is, as a linguistic classificatory ability or habit. The epistemological starting point is that we as subjects can only acquire knowledge about parts of the world by classifying objects (entities), that is, by making use of our classificatory abilities. The problem lies in the fact that our classificatory abilities may be learned, dependent on culture, or biologically conditioned, whereby the possibility of objective justification can be called into question. From this arises the task of philosophy, which, unlike the sciences, does not use or apply our classificatory abilities to interpret reality, but rather reflects upon these very conceptual abilities, that is, investigates whether they are meaningful or reasonable.
In Matter and Spirit (2005), Ros presented a thorough analysis of the mind-matter problem. In 2008, he published the essay "Mental Causation and Mereological Explanations", in which he tries to solve the problem of mental causation by means of mereological explanations.
In addition, he has recently published the following papers on the philosophy of mind:
Ros speaks in the philosophy of mind expressly of psychological (German, psychische) phenomena instead of mental (German, mentale) or spiritual (German, geistige) states (as is common in the current debate). For him, only higher cognitive functions (such as problem solving, use of abstract concepts, etc.) qualify as mental or spiritual, while psychological phenomena must include states such as temper tantrums. Ros therefore avoids using the terms mental and spiritual. After all, the German word Geist is merely a corresponding term for the Greek concept of psyche.
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Studies and initial teaching positions
Ros studied Ibero-Romance languages, sociologySociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) and Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
(Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
). He received his doctorate in 1971 for the dissertation On the theory of literary narrative. He earned his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
as an assistant of Kuno Lorenz
Kuno Lorenz
Kuno Lorenz is a German philosopher. He developed a philosophy of dialogue, in connection with the pragmatic theory of action of the Erlangen constructivist school...
. The title of his habilitation thesis was Philosophy as a methodological critique of meaning. In subsequent years, Ros was a visiting professor in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
and Campinas
Campinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
(Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
).
Professor at Magdeburg University
Since 1994 he is professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
for Theoretical Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. His main focus is concentrated on systematic and historical problems of argumentation theory
Argumentation theory
Argumentation theory, or argumentation, is the interdisciplinary study of how humans should, can, and do reach conclusions through logical reasoning, that is, claims based, soundly or not, on premises. It includes the arts and sciences of civil debate, dialogue, conversation, and persuasion...
with special attention to the theory of concepts (the concept of concept) as well as systematic and historical questions of philosophy of biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, with particular reference to the philosophical aspects of the mind-matter problem.
Among his students, he is best known and appreciated for his conceptually accurate argumentation and teaching. In his lectures he takes particular care to examine complicated problems by clearly distinguishing between their logical-methodological and historical components.
Argumentation theory
Ros is known (also because of his activities as a former assistant of Kuno LorenzKuno Lorenz
Kuno Lorenz is a German philosopher. He developed a philosophy of dialogue, in connection with the pragmatic theory of action of the Erlangen constructivist school...
) as an expert in argumentation theory
Argumentation theory
Argumentation theory, or argumentation, is the interdisciplinary study of how humans should, can, and do reach conclusions through logical reasoning, that is, claims based, soundly or not, on premises. It includes the arts and sciences of civil debate, dialogue, conversation, and persuasion...
and in this field he has researched the concepts of concept, of foundation, of explanation as well as of a typology of explanations (which are distinguished by the different types of causes that they provide). From 1989 to 1990, Ros published Foundation and Concept, a three volume monograph on the concept of concept that spans the history of philosophy from its beginnings in ancient Greece to contemporary Analytical Philosophy.
Epistemology and the Task of Philosophy
The term 'concept' is understood by Ros along lines suggested by Ludwig WittgensteinLudwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
's later work, that is, as a linguistic classificatory ability or habit. The epistemological starting point is that we as subjects can only acquire knowledge about parts of the world by classifying objects (entities), that is, by making use of our classificatory abilities. The problem lies in the fact that our classificatory abilities may be learned, dependent on culture, or biologically conditioned, whereby the possibility of objective justification can be called into question. From this arises the task of philosophy, which, unlike the sciences, does not use or apply our classificatory abilities to interpret reality, but rather reflects upon these very conceptual abilities, that is, investigates whether they are meaningful or reasonable.
Philosophy of mind
As an argumentation theorist, Ros especially emphasizes that within the philosophy of mind it is critical to first of all specify the problem as exactly as possible. Physical processes have to be distinguished from biological processes because the latter, in contrast to the former, when related to the activities of an organism, are purposeful and are meant as a response to a stimulus. From the concept of organism Ros progresses to the concept of the agent or acting subject, and from this to the concept of person, which is characterized by the criterion of possessing psychological phenomena. In the case of humans, an additional stage is reached, because they are also able to guide themselves by rules.In Matter and Spirit (2005), Ros presented a thorough analysis of the mind-matter problem. In 2008, he published the essay "Mental Causation and Mereological Explanations", in which he tries to solve the problem of mental causation by means of mereological explanations.
In addition, he has recently published the following papers on the philosophy of mind:
- 1996: "Philosophical aspects of mind-matter problem" (inaugural lecture at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg on 26 June 1996)
- 1996: "Observations on the relationship between neurophysiology and psychology"
- 1997: "Reduction, identity and abstraction. Comments on the discussion about the thesis of the identity of physical and psychological phenomena ..."
- 1998: "Comments on the mind-matter problem: What it is about, and how it can be solved."
- 2007: "Freedom of will, agency and chance"
- 2007: "Immediate selfconsciousness: What it is and how it may have evolved."
Ros speaks in the philosophy of mind expressly of psychological (German, psychische) phenomena instead of mental (German, mentale) or spiritual (German, geistige) states (as is common in the current debate). For him, only higher cognitive functions (such as problem solving, use of abstract concepts, etc.) qualify as mental or spiritual, while psychological phenomena must include states such as temper tantrums. Ros therefore avoids using the terms mental and spiritual. After all, the German word Geist is merely a corresponding term for the Greek concept of psyche.
Publications
This is a selection of the works of Arno Ros. The full list of publications can be found in the external links below.Monographs
- 1972: On the theory of literary narrative. An interpretation of Cuentos by Juan Rulfo. (Dissertation), Athenaeum, Frankfurt a. M., 1972.
- 1979: Object constitution and concepts of basic linguistic acts, Hain, Königstein / Ts., 1979.
- 1983: Jean Piaget's Genetic Epistemology. Results and open problems, Philosophische Rundschau, Special Issue, JCB Mohr, Tübingen, 1983.
- 1983: Philosophy as a methodical critique of meaning. Problems of conceptual explanation in the modern philosophical tradition from Kant to Wittgenstein.) (Habilitation thesis, unpublished, incorporated in Foundation and Concept).
- 1990: Foundation and Concept. A logical-developmental approach to the understanding of conceptual argumentation, Meiner, Hamburg, 3 vols, 1008 pages, ISBN 978-3-7873-0962-7. http://www.uni-magdeburg.de/iphi/ar/content/t89a/index.html Table of Contents
- 1989: Volume 1:Antiquity, Late Antiquity and Middle Ages.
- 1990: Volume 2:Early Modernity
- 1990: Volume 3:Contemporary (20th century)
- 2005: Matter and Spirit. A philosophical inquiry. Mentis, Paderborn, 2005, 686 pages, ISBN 3-89785-397-3. Contents
- Review by J.R.J. Schirra (PDF file; 127 kB)
Papers
- 1982: "Causal, teleonomic and teleological explanations", in: Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie, XIII/1982, p. 320-335. Online version
- 1996: "Philosophical aspects of the mind-matter problem", in: 1996 Inaugural lectures at the Otto-von-Guericke University's Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education in Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, University of Magdeburg, 1996. Online version
- 1996: "Observations on the relationship between neurophysiology and psychology," in Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie, 27/1996, p. 91-130. Online version
- 1997: "Reduction, identity and abstraction. Comments on the discussion about the thesis of the identity of physical and psychological phenomena in analytic philosophy." In Astroh, Michael, Dietfried Gerhardus, Gerhard Heinzmann (ed.): Dialogisches Handeln. Eine Festschrift für Kuno Lorenz., Spektrum, Heidelberg, Berlin, Oxford, 1997, p. 403-425. Online version (German) Online version (English)
- 1999: "What is philosophy?", In Richard Raatzsch (eds): Philosophieren über Philosophie. Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig, 1999, p. 36-58. Online version
- 2007: "Freedom of will, agency and chance", in Hans-Peter Krüger (eds): Hirn als Subjekt? Philosophische Grenzfragen der Neurobiologie. Academy, Berlin, pp 305–348. Online version
- 2007: "Immediate self consciousness: What is it made of and how it may have evolved.", In: Michael Pauen, Michael Schuette, Alexander Staudacher (eds): Begriff, Erklärung, Bewusstsein. Neue Beiträge zum Qualia-Problem. Mentis, Paderborn, 2007, p. 273-305.
- 2008: "Mental causation and mereological explanations. A simple solution to a complex problem.", In: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie, forthcoming.
External links
- Arno Ros' homepage at the University of Magdeburg, with contact information, biography, list of works and online text archive.
- Complete list of publications, with all the monographs and articles.