S. Albert Kivinen
Encyclopedia
S. Albert Kivinen (born October 19, 1933, Ikaalinen
) is a Finnish author and doctor of philosophy and docent emeritus of University of Helsinki
, known for his occult interests and study of monsters. He is a onetime winner of the Atorox Award for best Finnish short story, for his Lovecraftian pastiche Keskiyön Mato Ikaalisissa. Albert S. Kivinen is a well known fixture in Finnish academia and a proponent of the study of the history of the occult with a sceptical bent.
Besides his writings based on the mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft
, he has also recorded politico-philosophic songs even with the co-operation of such notable Finnish artists as M. A. Numminen
.
researched the problem of universality, and has set himself on a stance of realism, and a notion of "ontic communism", which he puts into words in the form of "There are many individuals in the world. These individuals have diverse similar (and distinguishing) characteristics." Also the mind-body problem has interested him. Besides Aristotle
, his influences have been the Cambridge
philosophers Bertrand Russell
, G. E. Moore and C. D. Broad. Of which the last one being his avowed favorite.
Ikaalinen
Ikaalinen is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
) is a Finnish author and doctor of philosophy and docent emeritus of University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, known for his occult interests and study of monsters. He is a onetime winner of the Atorox Award for best Finnish short story, for his Lovecraftian pastiche Keskiyön Mato Ikaalisissa. Albert S. Kivinen is a well known fixture in Finnish academia and a proponent of the study of the history of the occult with a sceptical bent.
Personal history
Kivinen did his dissertation 1977 in the University of Helsinki in theoretical philosophy. He worked as the chairman of the Finland–Mongolia society in the early 1970s and as a member of the board of trustees of the Finnish Parapsychological society 1972–1974 and the Transscendentaaliradieastrian society during 1974–1987. He also served as the chairman of Skepsis society (the Finnish skeptics society).Besides his writings based on the mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, he has also recorded politico-philosophic songs even with the co-operation of such notable Finnish artists as M. A. Numminen
M. A. Numminen
Mauri Antero Numminen is a Finnish artist, who has worked in several different fields of music and culture.In the 1960s M.A...
.
Philosophy
S. Albert Kivinen has in his study of ontologyOntology
Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...
researched the problem of universality, and has set himself on a stance of realism, and a notion of "ontic communism", which he puts into words in the form of "There are many individuals in the world. These individuals have diverse similar (and distinguishing) characteristics." Also the mind-body problem has interested him. Besides Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, his influences have been the Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
philosophers Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
, G. E. Moore and C. D. Broad. Of which the last one being his avowed favorite.
Works
- C. D. Broad’s views on abstracta, 1976. Helsinki University Department of Philosophy, Helsinki.
- Merkilliset kirjoitukset: Novelleja, artikkeleita, filosofiaa, 1990. Pirkanmaan kirjapaino ja lehtikustannus, Tampere.
- Metafyysisiä esseitä, 1999. University Press, Helsinki.
- Lauluja (CD), 2003. Love Records.
- Merkilliset kirjoitukset: Novelleja, artikkeleita, filosofiaa, 2006, 2. edition. Siniplaneetta, Tampere.
Notable articles
- ”Mitä 'paranormaaleilla ilmiöillä' tarkoitetaan?” in the work Paholaisen asianajaja: Opaskirja skeptikolle (The Devils Advocate: A Manual For the Skeptic).