THE FUNCTION OF METAPHOR IN MEDIEVAL NEOPLATONISM

Lukáš Šutor

Currently, the eighth issue of the Doctoral Miscellanea consists of thirteen contributions from four study programs. The publication of these contributions is traditionally associated with the Autumn School for Doctoral Students at the Faculty of Arts of UPJŠ in Košice, where third-cycle students have the opportunity to first try out the conference format of presenting their research results and subsequently expand them into full studies.

Unlike last year, when the proceedings were non-conference due to the pandemic situation, we consider the return to plenary dialogue beneficial. A distinctive feature of our proceedings is its multidisciplinary nature, encompassing humanities and social science fields. Despite this diversity, interesting connections often emerge among the topics, relating to generational reassessments of regularly recurring issues as well as research on highly current phenomena.

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E-journal

Juraj Schenk et al.

The scientific journal Sociálne a politické analýzy (Social and Political Analyses) serves as an interactive electronic platform for communication and the presentation (publication) of experts and their work in the fields of basic and applied research and analyses within sociological, psychological, political, and methodological contexts. It is a medium focused on intensively supporting research activities and analyses within an interdisciplinary framework, facilitating the exchange of experiences, fostering collaboration, and revitalizing the production of scientific work in this area.

The publication section of the journal offers space for works such as:

- Original sociological, psychological, and political studies and analyses in any areas of social life

- Methodological studies

- Research reports

- Studies from qualification theses Research and analysis projects

- Reviews

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Štefan Jusko

The goal of the monograph is to highlight the significant problem of interpreting the Socratic question, as its approach represents a method of interpreting the history of philosophy, specifically in our case, the interpretation of Socrates and Plato. The Socratic question can be grasped in diametrically different ways, as shown by Patočka and Nietzsche, among others. The former aligns with Socrates and innovatively updates his question for the present. The latter is ambivalent towards Socrates but ultimately labels him a decadent.

In the first part of the monograph, Patočka's characterization of human existence is presented, which he formulates as unified and morally firm. Patočka interprets the Socratic question as care for the soul, for its well-being, without deriving the concept of good from something positively defined but from the whole world, which can only be defined negatively due to its constant openness. This sphere of negativity is for Patočka something immensely positive because transcendence lifts humans from relative goods to the overall meaning, making them morally capable in the true sense. The good, i.e., the requirement for a surge, for a turn of humans from the world of things to the whole world, is for him a program that Socrates first formulated through his knowing ignorance.

The second part of the work is dedicated to Nietzsche's concept based on the non-unified nature of human existence, which is not derived from the whole world or overall meaning but from situational meaning. Nietzsche strives to prove that in every situation, human existence is exposed to two opposing perspectives, between which it is impossible to decide which is correct. He concludes that both perspectives are equally valid and mutually conditioned, meaning that the opposite of good, what threatens meaning, is a beneficial condition for situational meaning. He labels this level as immoral, as a sphere where human existence creates meaning outside the thinking of good and evil in opposition.

The conclusion of the work is open because, as it turns out, we do not have a common denominator that could decide on the correctness of one or the other concept. Precisely in this lies the fact that the Socratic question remains a serious philosophical problem even today.

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Patrik Furik - Michaela Ružičková - Dávid Gajdoščík - Peter Dubóczi - Barbora Linhartová - Lucia Grieger

The textbook entitled Political Systems of the BRICS States is published as an output of the KEGA 014UPJŠ-4/2020 Innovative Model of Education Leading to Active Citizenship as a Prevention of the Rise of Political Extremism among Students. The aim of the given publication is to present the basic principles of the political systems of the BRICS bloc states and to provide the reader with the nature and character of the bloc's functioning.

The textbook consists of an introduction and five further chapters. All sections are written in Slovak. The individual chapters focus primarily on characterizing the historical development of the BRICS states, the evolution of their constitutionalism, public administration, and on defining the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of power

The individual chapters describe the political systems of the states: Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa. The introductory chapter of the textbook contains the characteristics of the development and formation of the bloc, as well as information on the cooperation among the BRICS members.

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E-book

Drahoslav Magdoško (ed.)

Hlavný zámer zborníka, ktorý držíte v rukách, predstavuje práve vzdanie pocty historikovi, ktorý svojim úctyhodným vedeckým dielom výrazne prispel k utváraniu slovenskej historiografie, predovšetkým medievalistiky. Zároveň sa tu vyslovuje uznanie za rozsiahlu a v nemalej miere priekopnícku prácu archivára, ktorý pomáhal rozvíjať moderné archívnictvo na východe Slovenska. A v neposlednom rade ide o formu poďakovania za prácu vysokoškolského pedagóga, ktorého predmety absolvovali stovky študentov, a ktorý si svojim podnetným prístupom získal ich srdcia. Na všetkých týchto troch rovinách má cenné zásluhy prof. PhDr. Ferdinand Uličný, DrSc. (*18. 8. 1933, Ploštín), ktorý v lete roku 2023 oslávil životné jubileum 90. rokov.

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Magdaléna Hovanová - Dušan Šlosár

The monograph addresses the issues surrounding functional families, dysfunctional families, and those affected by crises. It analyzes various determinants that lead to family dysfunction and identifies factors contributing to family crises and the destabilization of family relationships. Special attention is given to working with dysfunctional families, particularly through family rehabilitation, methods, forms, and procedures employed mainly by helping professionals.

Additionally, the monograph explores contemporary forms of couple cohabitation and the factors that have caused changes in this area. Families are examined from the perspective of helping professions, including psychology, sociology, adult education, health care, law, and economics. These various perspectives create a comprehensive view of the examined issues and establish a multidisciplinary space for addressing problems within the family system. A functional family is seen as the foundation of society; therefore, society must create tools to assist families that are unable to resolve issues affecting their functionality.

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Adriana Jesenková (ed.)

The topic of gender equality in the university and academic environment in Slovakia remains in a highly ambivalent position – often overlooked and marginalized, instrumentalized and perceived as an alien element or a formal necessity, but most frequently exposed to numerous misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

The intention of the presented publication and its authorial collective is to contribute to shaping and cultivating an environment where it is possible to discuss issues of gender relations in the academic environment objectively, develop research from a gender perspective, and primarily implement gender equality policy as one of the tools for democratizing the academic sphere and the university. The collection was created within the framework of the project VVGS-2018-749, "Creating a Gender Equality Plan at UPJŠ in Košice," and presents various contexts and perspectives from which to consider issues of gender equality at the university. Individual authors focus on the topic of gender equality from philosophical, philosophical-legal, and legal perspectives in their texts.

The final text presents the findings of qualitative research, which was part of the mentioned project, their interpretation, and conclusions from the perspective of further implementation of gender equality policy at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. We understand the publication as an invitation to discussion, critical thinking, and research, and thus to creating a university as we can be.

Adriana Jesenková

The peer-reviewed collection of scientific works is distributed under the Creative Commons 4.0 – Attribution CC BY-NC license, which allows non-commercial use of the work provided that the names of the authors are mentioned.

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E-book

Vladimír Lichner - Dušan Šlosár

Issues of punishment are directly linked to a state’s criminal policy, which is an inseparable part of its social policy. Historically, the state has held a unique dominant position in the realm of punishment. Once the conditions for imposing a penalty are met, the state fulfills its obligation by sentencing through independent courts. However, it does not address questions of satisfaction, which belong to the victim. The victim may be a specific physical person or legal entity that suffered harm due to the criminal act. This harm simultaneously affects civil society as a whole. The state prioritizes its duty to punish and decide on the matter over compensating the harmed individual or civil society.

By mediation in criminal cases, we mean extrajudicial facilitation of resolving disputes between the offender and the harmed party, with the assistance and personal participation of a mediator. The mediator, as an independent and impartial person, helps parties identify their interests and supports them in finding shared, practical, and realistic solutions to the points causing their conflict. Probation refers to monitoring, supervising the accused, defendant, or convicted individual, as well as providing individual assistance to the offender and encouraging them to lead a lawful life. This reduces the risk of recidivism, or repeated criminal behavior.

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Ján Hvozdík

With great interest, I read the proposal for the reissue of the monograph by Prof. PhDr. Ján Hvozdík, DrSc., Základy školskej psychológie (Foundations of School Psychology). It was an honor for me to be part of the editorial board for the new edition of the textbook.

The reissue comes at a time when school psychology seems to be experiencing a renaissance in its application. This is no coincidence, as the professor’s conception of school psychology as a theoretical-applied and integrated psychological discipline strives not only directly but also indirectly, through the pedagogical practice of teachers, to influence specific situations in educational practice within the school environment. From my perspective, I also appreciate the attention given in the textbook to the ever-relevant topic of self-directed learning, that is, the autodidactics of pupils and students. School psychology has become a core subject, within which its specializations are also realized.

It is worth mentioning the fact that, under the conditions of totalitarianism, the professor was not a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and yet he made significant contributions to the development of school counseling, both in theory and in practice, which commands respect and admiration. The reissue of the textbook is not an apology but rather a celebration of his positive contributions.

prof. PhDr. Ján Grác, DrSc.

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Alexander Onufrák - Ján Ruman - Jana Šutajová - Peter Getlík

The presented textbook aims to introduce students to the issue of political extremism from various perspectives—namely, normative, historical, and discursive-empirical.

It addresses the significance and role of active citizenship, which, as one of several potential solutions, has the capacity to a certain extent to eliminate the rise of manifestations of political extremism in society by deepening democratic principles in practice.

The presented textbook is a direct output of the KEGA grant project "Innovative Model of Education Leading to Active Citizenship as a Prevention of the Rise of Political Extremism among Students" (014UPJŠ-4/2020). The principal investigator of the project is Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Gabriel Eštok, PhD. The project was carried out in the years 2020–2022.

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E-book

Soňa Lovašová

In front of you is a textbook whose main aim is to introduce readers to the issues of methods, methodology, techniques, and research methodology in social work. The book is divided into four main sections, each arranged with a specific purpose. This arrangement is primarily based on the logical progression of the textbook’s content. The first part consists of chapters dealing with professional terminology, the development of social work methodology, and the classification of methods.

The second part focuses on research methods in social work, where the author devotes space to the methodology of social work research. The goal of these chapters is not to provide the reader with a comprehensive methodological minimum, but rather to orient them in the basic types of research and to demonstrate, step by step, how to create a research project. The third part presents an overview of the various forms of social work: social work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and society. Each of these chapters begins with a brief historical introduction to the topic. The final section of the textbook consists of chapters on working with aggression in social work practice and its various forms.

We believe that this textbook will be helpful to students in their studies and that its structure will appeal to readers.

Soňa Lovašová

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Jozef Bavoľár - Ján Ferjenčík - Pavol Kačmár

Učebnica pokročilých štatistických metód v behaviorálnych s sociálnych vedách je určená študentom týchto vied, ako aj tým, ktorí sa vo svojej výskumnej praxi stretávajú s riešením stredne náročných výskumných otázok, pre zvládnutie ktorých nie je postačujúca znalosť základných štatistických metód. Učebnica na nich stavia, jej jadro však tvoria štatistické metódy, ktoré sa sústredia najmä na zachytenie multivariačných vzťahov. V úvodnej kapitole sú uvedené základné princípy testovania nulových hypotéz ako základ uvádzaných metód, pričom sú zohľadňované najnovšie trendy zamerané na otvorenosť a replikovateľnosť výskumov. Každá z nasledujúcich kapitol je venovaná vybranej metóde, prípadne skupine metód. V úvodných kapitolách sú to lineárna a logistická regresia, na ktoré nadväzuje sledovanie mediačných a moderačných efektov. Druhý veľký celok tvoria metódy skupinového porovnávania, kde sú vysvetlené rôzne alternatívy analýzy rozptylu (jednovchodná, viacvchodná, pre nezávislé výbery, opakovaná, zmiešaná), ich neparametrické alternatívy, multivariačná analýza rozptylu a analýza kovariancie. V záverečných kapitolách sú najprv prezentované dve metódy zachytávajúce podobnosti či vzťahy medzi objektmi (zhluková analýza, faktorová analýza), následne sú uvádzané princípy modelovania štrukturálnymi rovnicami. V každej kapitole je po vysvetlení účelu metódy a jej základných princípov demonštrované jej použitie na konkrétnom príklade, ponúkané sú aj návody pre výpočet v troch štatistických programoch – SPSS, Jamovi a JASP. Snahou autorov je poskytnúť učebnicu, kde záujemcovia aj bez hlbšieho matematického základu budú schopní porozumieť prezentovaným štatistickým postupom, zvoliť si pre nich ten najvhodnejší, a následne ho aj použiť na svojich dátach.

E-book

Magdaléna Halachová - Denisa Rovenská

The monograph theoretically analyzes the virtual environment and its aspects, offers insight into the identity of the child in the virtual environment, the necessity of social support and the diversity of social relationships in the real world and virtual reality.

Furthermore, it contains the fundamental training program designed to minimize the risks of the virtual reality, because adolescents are often exposed to risks uncontrollably. For that reason it focuses on adolescent and empowering optimal self-image, as well as creating and maintaining real social networks.

The set of experiential-educational activities is conceptually divided into two main areas. The first one is content-focused on the adolescent, his/her psychological capability including opinions, attitudes, emotions, competences, and self-reflection.

The second one focuses on interpersonal real and virtual relationships, the recognition of the advantages and disadvantages of internet communication and face-to-face interaction, and last but not least for more optimal use of the Internet and preference for real social interaction.

Authors

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E-book

Renáta Orosová - Michal Novocký - Katarína Petríková

An integral part of the process of becoming a teacher is the mentoring of student teachers by mentor teachers, serving as guidance and support for future teachers. Developing mentoring skills and fostering reflective mentoring practices are means of enhancing the practical training of student teachers, their professional development, and improving the quality of their future educational practice.

The foundation of the mentoring relationship between the mentor teacher as a mentor and the student teacher as a mentee is not to evaluate the student, but to analyse their learning and teaching and contemplate ways to enhance these processes. The university textbook represents a creative textual tool focused on innovations in strategies for supporting the development of mentoring abilities in mentors and mentees during professional practical training. This university textbook, intended for student teachers in the role of mentees and mentor teachers in the role of mentors, systematizes the theoretical foundations of mentoring, provides guidance and directives for mentoring in professional practical training. Furthermore, it offers the university teacher, in the role of supervising the student's teaching practice, an overview of techniques and methods pertaining to the mentoring relationship between mentor and mentee. It is applicable as a university textbook for student teachers, students pursuing supplementary pedagogical studies or advanced studies, as well as for mentor teachers in primary and secondary schools, and university educators involved in professional practical training.

Its English version provides opportunities for utilization during study stays of student teachers abroad and for foreign students in Slovakia.

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E-book

Štefan Šutaj - Jana Šutajová

The population exchange between Czechoslovakia and Hungary was carried out on the basis of the Agreement on the Exchange of Populations between Czechoslovakia and Hungary, which was signed on February 27, 1946. Its adoption was not only part of Czechoslovak solutions to the status of national minorities, but also part of the strategic concept of building a state of Czechs and Slovaks without Germans and Hungarians.

The agreement was part of the postwar resolution of mutual disputes and misunderstandings and was intended to be one of the solutions that, in the postwar period, would eliminate a factor which, according to Czechoslovak political leaders, had caused the war conflict.

The population exchange between Czechoslovakia and Hungary was therefore not an isolated historical event, but part of migratory movements that had begun in Europe already after the First World War, and can be seen as a continuation of previous developments as part of migration patterns in Europe.

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Zuzana Kolaříková - Helena Petruňová - Renáta Timková

English in the Academic Environment is intended primarily for those interested in improving their academic English and is primarily designed to fulfill the needs of university students and teachers who use English in their studies, in their work activities, and in their communication with foreign colleagues and professionals.

The publication offers selected phrases and sentence structures from the field of academic English, gives practical examples of the use of nominal, verbal and prepositional phrases, free and established collocations, idiomatic expressions, including translations of some selected phrases. It also highlights some common mistakes in the use of English in an academic environment, which are a manifestation of incorrect or insufficiently acquired linguistic resources and, last but not least, a consequence of the linguistic influence of Slovak.

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