Praxiologies and the Philosophy of Economics


Book Description

This breakthrough volume integrates European, British, and American scholarship in advanced areas of philosophy and decision theory. Contributions cover a broad area of economics--from criticism of institutional economics to examination of the role of induction in economic forecasting.




Systemic Change Through Praxis and Inquiry


Book Description

This work examines the confluence of praxiology, pragmatics, and systematics in the study of systemic change through human inquiry, particularly small group activities, human organizations, and globalizing trends. It covers core concepts indigenous to organizational life.




Practical Philosophy and Action Theory


Book Description

Action theory and practical philosophy have their well-grounded tradition both in Finland and in Poland. This text is a collection of PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY AND ACTION THEORY Praxiology: The International Annual of Practical Philosophy and Methodology Volume 2. This volume is divided into three parts: the first one being, so to speak, a ‘business card’ of Finland’s contemporary practical philosophy, the second one being a ‘business card’ of the Poland’s present praxiology, and a collection of contributions from other philosophical environments related to the topics.




Praxiology and Pragmatism


Book Description

Volume l0 in this distinguished series addresses two distinct but interrelated philosophical movements, which exemplify different approaches to the study of ethics. Praxiology, an unique Central European philosophical movement, embraces the study of purposeful and conscious action and the elements essential to each action, act, and causative act. Pragmatism, an uniquely American philosophical movement, was founded by Charles S. Peirce and William James, and is based on the meaning of conceptions, defined in their practical bearings that guides actions and measures them by practical consequences of belief. The chapters in this volume are grouped in a section on Praxiology and one on Pragmatism. Each section defines the historical origins of their respective philosophical movements, describes their methodology, and interrelates their impact on "human conduct" and contemporary society. The section on Praxiology presents for the first time in English a seminal study, "The ABC of Practicality," written in l972 by Tadeusz Kotarbinski, the father of modern Polish praxiology. Wojciech W. Gasparski offers an interpretative analysis of Praxiology. Daryl Koehn explores the nature of practical judgment and Timo Airaksinen applies praxiological efficiency in professional ethics. The section devoted directly to Pragmatism includes scholarly contributions by eight academics on the relevance of pragmatism to management (Juan Fontrodona), business ethics (Sandra Rosenthal), law ( Fred Kellogg), and pragmatic inquiry (F. Byron Nahser). The contribution of Max Scheler to pragmatism (Manfred Frings) and the influence of William James on business ethics(Dennis McCann) are groundbreaking contributions to the study of pragmatism. The volume also includes a teaching model for a classroom application of pragmatism (Jack Ruhe), and concludes with an evaluation of the renaissance of interest in pragmatism in Europe (Jacek Sojka). Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V., professor of management, DePaul University, is past president of the Society for Business Ethics. He is co-editor of Human Action in Business (Vol. 5) and Business Students Focus on Ethics (Vol. 8) of the Praxiology series. F. Byron Nahser is chairman and CEO, Globe Group, Chicago, the originator of Pathfinder Pragmatic Inquiry Method and author of Learning to Read the Signs: Reclaiming Pragmatism in Business. Wojciech W. Gasparski is professor of humanities at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, and editor-in-chief of the Praxiological series. He has published numerous volumes and over two hundred articles and conference papers.




Praxiological Essays


Book Description

The 25th volume in the series Praxiology: The International Annual of Practical Philosophy and Methodology brings a praxiological perspective to current issues facing our society. In sixteen brand-new essays, a team of international scholars expands praxiology beyond the borders of its historically philosophical application and uses it to address real-world problems in a variety of fields. The volume outlines new approaches and reflections on traditional praxiological method, and then applies these developments as tools in fields as diverse as ethics, psychology, sociology, economics, management, and entrepreneurship. Grounded in the tradition of the Polish praxiologist Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886-1981), the 25th volume, entitled Praxiological Essays: Texts and Contexts, highlights the rich mosaic of issues perceived in the practice of human action, and carries a tradition of Praxiological inquiry forward into our contemporary philosophy, methodology, and social sciences.




Social Agency


Book Description

Praxiology deals with doing and working from the point of view of effectiveness. It has three components: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of models of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficiency. This fourth volume of the Praxiology series is devoted to the very special topic of social agency. It focuses on two important praxiological concepts: rationality and preparation as preconditions for human action to be effective and efficient. The question of efficiency was raised by Anatol Rapoport over three decades ago in his lecture to the audience at the Praxiological Seminar in Warsaw in 1961. Social Agency begins with an article written by this same famous scholar on the topic of decision theory, "Social Dilemmas: A Historical Overview." Social dilemmas is the subject of the first part of this volume, a question related to studies on human action guided by two types of rationality: individual and collective rationality. The intersection of the two, in which individuals meet collectives, creates the situation in which social agency emerges, generating dilemmatic circumstances for the actors involved. The articles collected in the second part explore praxiological dimensions of education aimed toward the knowledge society, because of knowledge possessed and produced by educated persons. Chapters and contributors to volume 4 include: "Five Questions on the Research on Social Dilemmas" by Marek K. Mlicki; "Psychological Processes Underlying Cooperation in Social Dilemmas" by Paul A. M. Van Lange and David M. Messick; "Designing a System for Design Learning: Designers and/or Learners?" by Arne Collen; "Creating an Evolutionary Image of New Systems of Learning and Human Development" by Janet A. Khan; and "A Study Program Design in Retrospect" by Stig C. Holmberg. Social Agency continues the trend of original research done in a little-known, but important area. Social scientists, policymakers, and educators will benefit from this work.




French and Other Perspectives in Praxiology


Book Description

Volume 12 in this distinguished series explores current topics in praxiology as studied in France and elsewhere. As is characteristic of contemporary praxiology, contributors both investigate new topics and use new methods to re-examine older approaches.Part 1 is composed of three sections by French scholars. These deal with humans as a subject of action as well as a subject of knowledge. In respecting the particular domains of psychology and praxiology, they demonstrate how they converge to shed light on the human being as an individual or as part of a group. The first section discusses relations between individual action and collective action, while the second section is concerned with relations between the act, objects, and space, and explores work spaces, production spaces, office spaces, and social spaces. The third section examines relations between action and cognition, a domain considered to be little understood in general. Finally, the role of mathematics in decision-making is discussed as a determinate of the praxiological process.The second part is composed of contributions by scholars from Finland, Great Britain, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. The topics are: how praxiology helps economists understand cooperative actions and related issues of different responsibilities; how and to what an extent university education creates conditions for competitive advantage in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and how problems of corporate governance are approached in the region; how innovation influences competence in the region of established economy in Spain; and how information systems constitute a multi-agent system. Finally, a formal analysis of praxiological dimensions in light of the fuzzy logic approach is discussed.




Design and Systems


Book Description

Praxiology starts from the point of view of effectiveness. It has three components: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of modes of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficiency. The third volume of this series aims to make more visible to the English readership the importance of design throughout the many disciplines, professions, and arenas of human endeavor. Design is a pervasive part of our daily lives to such an extent that it goes largely unnoticed. It has become a near invisible aspect of our civilized existence. But when we stop for a moment to study an artifact, activity, group, and institution, or any entity or life process, we can begin to see and imagine the design, the designing, and the human designers who contributed to it. Design and Systems represents a set of contributions made to the methodological study of design. Chapters and contributors include: "Toward Metamedicine" by Kazem Sadegh-Zadeh; "Design Engineering Methodologies in English and German Language Regions and Influences of Culture" by Wolfgang E. Eder; "Systems Methodology and Design" by Gerald Nadler; "Problem Forming, Problem Finding, and Problem Solving in Design" by Herbert A. Simon; and "Design: A Journey to the Future" by Bela H. Banathy, Design and Systems continues the trend of original research done in a little-known, but important area. It will be an enlightening read for sociologists, philosophers, and scholars interested in the study of design.




Human Action in Business


Book Description

Praxiology deals with working and doing from the point of view of effectiveness. It has three components: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of modes of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficiency. This fifth volume of the Praxiology series is devoted to Human Action in Business: Praxiological and Ethical Dimensions. The adjective praxiological here means not only related to praxiology as human theory, but also assessed against the dimensions of effectiveness and efficiency. Adding also the ethical dimension, one defines the universe of the discourse about conduct characteristic of business, the economy, and management. Topics in business and management philosophy and theory are discussed by eminent contributors from different corners of the world: P. Ulrich (Switzerland); M. Bohata (Czech Republic); S. K. Chakreborty (India); J. Donaldson, H.E. Sternberg, and P. Graham (U.K.); H. van Lujik and H. Hummels (The Netherlands); O. Loukola (Finland); Y. Pesqueux and I. Tovey (France); T.A. Mathias (India); W. W. Gasparski, A. Lewicka-Strzalecka and J. Sojka (Poland); M. Tamari (Israel); R. E. Freeman, R. G. Kennedy, S. Natale, J. A. Matel, N. Bowie, D. McCann, L. V. Ryan, P. Werhane, and K. Goodpaster (United States). Selected speeches by Pope John Paul II addressed to managers, businessmen, and general audiences involved in the economy are also included in this volume. In Volume 5, invited specialists examine the praxiological and ethical aspects of human action under the rubric of the "Triple E": Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Ethics. The volume opens with contributions reflecting on the praxiological and ethical foundations for business followed by sections discussing human action from the perspectives of religious beliefs and cultural diversity. Another section illustrates the application of these principles to business. The concluding chapters examine praxiology and ethics as the moral agenda for professional education. The volume is a must read for economists, businesspeople, social scientists, and policymakers.




The Roots of Praxiology


Book Description

Praxiology deals with working and doing from the point of view of effectiveness. It has three components: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of modes of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficiency. This seventh volume of the Praxiology series focuses on the roots of the discipline. It brings together a selection of writings that illustrate various stages of French thought concerning this philosophy and methodology of action. It is also conceived as a tribute to the writings of Louis Bourdeau and V. Alfred Espinas, key figures in the origin of praxiology.In the first part, "The Origin of Praxiology" examines these origins in the work of Bourdeau and Espinas. Bourdeau's essay demonstrates the influence of contemporary theories, in particular those of evolution and Comte's positivism, but also shows the critical sense and originality of his thought. With reference to Greek philosophy, Espinas's contribution underlines the complex relations between acts and laws; it enables him to follow the slow progression of individuals as they endeavor to shape their destiny according to the circumstances and the direction of their attitudes. In the second part, "Science of Human Action," Maurice Blondel opposes radical rationalism and warns against the positive sciences. Abraham Moles and Elisabeth Rohmer offer an original approach inspired by phenomenology. In the third part, "Action Theory and Its Applications," the texts of Roland Caude and Arnold Kaufmann focus on humanist preoccupations, setting action in the economic context of the firm and the city. Victor Alexandre deals with the structural analysis of real and fictitious actions applied to a large number of elementary acts. Robert Vallée's concluding essay proposes a model consisting of operators for observation, decision, and effectiveness in order to formalize the link between knowledge and action.What emerges from this volume is the constant idea that an individual's destiny is linked to the efficiency of his acts, but also that efficiency as a concept itself has multiple aspects, none of which should be underestimated.