LU konferenceThe boundary between the known and the unknown[1] is a constant question of philosophy and existence, arts and sciences. It encompasses the micro-world and the mega-dimensions, the limits of human capabilities and virtual constructs, it reaches into irrational inclination and the anatomy of the body, it defines the activity of the mind and human life. Everyone has a different border, but the connection between them exists. In the known, we become more aware of the unknown – this is the condition of any progress and human life. The border between the known and the unknown does not exist by itself, it exists in human minds, desires, experiences and trials.
The book “On the Border of Known and Unknown” reflects a pursuit of a substantiation of the dynamic boundary between the known and the unknown in philosophy, society, politics, power collisions, irony, birth and death, communication. The beginnings of the research can be traced back to 28 September 2023, the scientific readings of the 6th Interdisciplinary Conference “On the Border of Known and the Unknown” organized by the Interdisciplinary Research Centre of the Academic Library of the University of Latvia. Since then, the breadth and relevance of the topic has appealed to more and more authors – their perspectives and studies are published in this collection.
Māris Kūlis in his article “Public Truths: Reason and Madness, Collective Knowledge and Social Cohesion” views the border of known-unknown in the perspective of individuality and sociality. The claim that collective knowledge of society exists without a reason, but reasonably, that this knowledge forms a net of value truths containing the society, moves away from existential and profoundly individual quests for meaning and finds itself within a social network. Deformations of truth are viewed in the context of power, appealing to French postmodern thinker Michel Foucault’s explanations of truth and current political affairs – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin and backstage games of politicians. The article brings up the topic of lies and the mechanisms of retaining power, referring to Niccolò Machiavelli’s views on state politics and power, reaching into Hanna Arendt’s search for transformations of the actual world, however, the line of reason remains the central axis of the article.
In the article of Raivis Bičevskis “Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos”, the irony viewed in the context of romantic philosophy refers to the culture of antiquity and the irony of Socrates, remaining faithful to the stardust of Romanticism, – to excel them is a great challenge, because “it is almost impossible to achieve an even more reflexive and subtle irony than the one introduced by Friedrich Schlegel and other Romanticists into their texts,” because romanticism gives respect to the unknown to the known. In this article, the irony of Romantism reaches its quintessence – the movement between
the finite and the infinite, the determined
and the undetermined, thus delineating its a priori boundary of existence and action,
and the mystery of reality. Irony has a power that can turn against the ironist himself.
The article of Rihards Kūlis reveals the boundaries of science and faith, existence and non-existence, the thinkable and the unthinkable. In the article, human
illusions about the limitlessness of one’s cognitive abilities are viewed in connection with Immanuel Kant’s critical analysis of cognitive abilities and Karl Rahner’s recognition that even the mystic’s practice
must yield to rational control.
Velga Vēvere considers William James’ concept of pure experience and mystical states of consciousness. Linda Gediņa’s view of Heidegger’s philosophy published in the current volume leads the reader into the labyrinths of terminology and language, inviting the reader to break out of these labyrinths by his own strength and attempt to clear up the quantity of words. Ineta Kivle in her philosophical essay “How Is It That Knowing Is Not-Knowing?” offers four different fragments of thought, where each of them shows a different
boundary between the known and the unknown – rational, existential, or mathematical boundary: Socrates’ state of knowing ignorance – 0 points; existential borderline situations and Hermann Hesse’s philosophical search for the meaning of life; the boundaries of the known world as a meaningful horizon in the phenomenology; the philosophically mathematical substantiation of knowledge-ignorance by Nicholas of Cusa.
The collection also comprises the articles of doctoral students and young doctors of the University of Latvia. Gita Leitlande’s article “The Stoic Teaching on Emotions: Can It Be Interpreted in a Way That Is Conceptually Acceptable Today?” returns to insights yielded by the culture of antiquity. Releasing or controlling emotions, submitting to judgment becomes the guide of a right or wrong life. The article offers an analysis of Seneca’s work “On Anger”, colourfully demonstrating why anger does not know how to act properly. At the core of Inga Gaugere’s article “The Potentiality of Beginning: Hannah Arendt on Natality” is the analysis of the active life of a human, human activity in the world. The world is an opportunity to be born anew – again and again, asserting oneself in society, politics, active life, and in the social sense even gaining “immortality”. The most important condition of life is birth and death, where the plural nature pertaining to the phenomenon of human birth is contrasted with the singularity of death. In her article “On the Way from Understanding to Action. Levinas and Fanon on Self-Other Relations”, Kitija Mirončuka explores the relationship “Self-Other” from the aspect of responsibility, the ability to communicate with the Other, yielding oneself to the possibility of the unknown. The valuable and fact-based research by Anna Auzāne on “the literature of limited truth” in the prose and journalism of Miervaldis Birze offers an interesting picture of the “official” and “unofficial” truth in the discourse of Latvian prose, poetry and politics in the second half of the 20th century.
The collection of articles is significantly enhanced by the extensive research conducted by Jana Dreimane on the basis of archival materials about the operation and fate of the Library of the Society for the History and Antiquities in Riga, its place in the cultural space of Latvia and the history of libraries. The study contains comprehensive and accurate data on the dynamics of the collections, their paths and historical relevance. Little-studied personalities in Latvian cultural history acquire a new life in the article of Jana Dreimane – it provides an appraisal of the contribution by August Wilhelm Buchholtz to Latvian bookmanship, the efforts of Eduard Johannes Fehre in documenting the historical materials of Livonia, and other activities of library employees, safeguarding the written cultural heritage of Latvia. As usual, the book begins with a previously unpublished translation – in this volume, it is “Apology of Postmodernism”, authored by German philosopher of Italian origin Vittorio Hösle, and translated by Rihards Kūlis.
The volume “On the Border of Known and Unknown” continues the interdisciplinary research series phronesis, praxis, paideia, publishing studies in which the dynamic of known-unknown is considered from the aspects of truth, lies, irony, experience, literature, life, and history of culture. Tenured Professor Raivis Bičevskis has contributed to scientific editorship of the book and involvement of the authors, strengthening the cooperation and synergy of ideas between the UL Library and the Faculty of Humanities. Particular gratitude is extended to Inguna Miļūna, whose paintings have been used in the design of the publication series phronesis, praxis, paideia since its inception. I would like to thank the authors for their ideas and the University of Latvia Press for ready, professional assistance in creation of the book!
Dr. phil. Ineta Kivle
Leading Researcher at UL, Founder and Head
of the interdisciplinary research series
phronesis, praxis, paideia
[1] Introduction draws upon the material of the scientific readings of the 6th Interdisciplinary Conference: Kivle, I. “Uz zināmā un nezināmā robežas” (ISBN 978-9984-844-14-5).
Uz zināmā un nezināmā robežas. Sast., zin. red. I. Kivle, R. Bičevskis. Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 2024. 184. lpp.