Kant’s Contributions to the Concept of the ‘State of Nature’
Hristo Gyoshev
New Bulgarian University
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-01
Abstract. The text examines Kant’s contributions to the concept ‘state of nature’ in terms of its content, as well as its application in the fields of international law and politics. The theoretical development of this concept in Kant’s later philosophy, as it is presented in his law doctrine and that of the eternal peace, is analyzed in terms of its applicability to the particular normative problems surrounding the colonization of America. As I argue in the paper, Kant’s contributions in these contexts are rooted in the explanation of the mechanism of man’s gradual liberation from the state of nature, resembling Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ argument, and in his concepts of property and hospitality, which have the potential of interpreting the problem of just distribution of the American land in the process of colonization.
Keywords: Immanuel Kant, State of nature, Universal history, Eternal peace, Cosmopolitan law, Property, Hospitality.
Mediate and Immediate in the Judgement of Taste
Iassen Zahariev
New Bulgarian University
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-02
Abstract. The article examines the problem of the immediacy of taste in the philosophy of the 18th century and in particular in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. In modern aesthetics, it is taken for granted that the judgment of taste is immediate due to its relation to the feelings of pleasure and displeasure. The main thesis in the text is that the premise of the immediacy of aesthetic taste is false. For this purpose, the article analyses in detail Kant’s theory of taste compared to the ideas of other philosophers such as Hume, Hutcheson, Earl Shaftesbury, etc. The article demonstrates through arguments and examples that even the sensory taste is conditioned by preliminary attitudes and expectations. The text also examines the prerequisites that determine the judgment of taste in arts. Finally, the article suggests an open possibility of a critique of foretaste.
Key words: judgement, taste, foretaste, immediacy, aesthetics, Kant, Hume
The Encompassing and the Mystery: Karl Jaspers and René Magritte
Antoaneta Doncheva
Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”
Georgi Kapriev
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-03
Abstract. The article examines the philosophical programs of Karl Jaspers and René Magritte, approached as two convergent series. Both belong to that sphere of European rationalism which emphasizes the non-autonomy of what is merely empirically ascertainable. Transcendence—conceived not as detached from the being in which we dwell – endows concrete objectivity with true being and a sense that surpasses mere functionality, making it knowable in its very essence, rendering authentic human existence possible. In this way, both thinkers take their place within a powerful philosophical tradition whose origins lie in Hellenic culture and which continues to unfold to this day.
Keywords: Karl Jaspers, René Magritte, the Encompassing, the Mystery, Ciphers, Disturbing Objects
Modal Variation and Counterpart Theory
Blagovest S. Mollov
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-04
Abstract. The text outlines the structure and the main strategies for solving the problem of modal variation. The reasons for the inadequacy of the options of rejecting the premises of modal tolerance and the necessity of tolerance or accepting the hyper-tolerance conclusion are indicated. I argue that, despite its notorious counter-intuitivity, counterpart theory can be considered to be the most promising approach to the problem.
Keywords: modal tolerance, Chisholm’s paradox, transworld identity, haecceitism, hyper-essentialism, counterpart theory
In the Name of the Vulnerable Groups
Stilian Yotov
Sofia University
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-05
Abstract. The present paper has two main aims: First, to stress an aspect of the capabilities approach, which places the vulnerability of certain groups of people at the center of its considerations; second, to use the developed theoretical scheme as a prism, through which to analyze several typical cases of (non)respect for vulnerability for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian legal system.
Keywords: vulnerability as dependence, vulnerable groups, additional duties & additional rights
Well-being and Volunteering: Philosophical Aspects of their Interrelation
Ralitsa Veleva
University of National and World Economy
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-06
Abstract. This article explores the philosophical interrelation between well-being (individual and societal) and volunteering. It argues that volunteering is not merely an altruistic act but also an essential component of the “good life” in an ethical and eudaimonic sense. The paper traces classical and contemporary conceptions of well-being – from Aristotelian eudaimonism and Epicurean hedonism to modern hybrid theories that combine subjective and objective dimensions of human flourishing. It examines diverse philosophical interpretations of volunteering: as virtue, duty, utilitarian utility, existential freedom, and responsibility toward the Other. On this basis, it analyzes how engagement in voluntary service contributes to life’s sense of meaning, the formation of ethical identity, and the realization of key human capabilities.
Keywords: well-being, volunteering, ethics, meaning, altruism
Aristotle, Benjamin Constant, and Bulgarian Democracy: A Philosophical Assessment of Bulgaria’s Democratic Trajectory, 1989 – 2021
Yuliy Yuliev
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2025-04-07
Abstract. This article examines the democratic development of Bulgaria during the period 1989 – 2021 through the lens of political philosophy, focusing on the ideas of Aristotle and Benjamin Constant. Applying Aristotle’s principles of virtuous political regimes and the importance of a strong middle class, the analysis identifies three major challenges within this historical timeframe: the lack of an enlightened understanding of political rights, the absence of a robust middle class, and an oligarchic model of governance that tends to serve narrow interests rather than the common good. Drawing on Constant’s call for moral and civic education to increase political participation, the article argues that non-governmental organizations providing informal education play a crucial role in cultivating competent, virtuous citizens capable of addressing these issues. It concludes that the widespread development of civic competencies, driven by NGO-led informal education, is essential for strengthening Bulgarian democracy by expanding the middle class, promoting media literacy, and fostering an informed understanding of positive liberty and political rights.
Keywords: Aristotle, Benjamin Constant, Bulgaria, Democracy, Politics, Political Philosophy
