Filosofija. Sociologija

Heideggerian Notes on Science Education

2026-07-11T08:29:57+03:00

The article discusses issues, trends and possibilities in current education in Heideggerian terms. It follows a previous article that introduced the relevancy of Heideggerian philosophy for the topic of education. The approach of formal indication and the issues of deworlding and Being-in-the-world were explored. The reader may have been left with the question whether this approach to teaching and learning is only relevant to humanities and akin fields or to sciences as well. Hence the exploration is this second part continues with respect to the relevancy of an "other" relation to language (logos) because currently education, like current sciences, supervenes on a Being-forgetful notion of ratio, whereas “reworlding“ and “reontologizing“ has to do with other possibilities .

THE THE RELEVANCE OF EXISTENTIAL EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

2026-07-11T08:32:21+03:00

The article analyses the ideas and values of existential education, aiming to reveal their relevance and importance in contemporary university studies, preparing young people to face future challenges in a world characterised by uncertainty, rapid change, and the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence. The article notes that higher education is paying increasing attention to the implementation of digital innovations and technologies to meet labour market expectations and develop high-level professional and technological competencies. However, at the same time, higher education education is confronted with decreasing motivation and responsibility among students, growing academic dishonesty, dropout rates, and weakening ties between students, teachers and the university community. The article argues that existential education, which aims at authentic and meaningful education, can be an effective response to current issues. The possibilities of integrating existential education into university studies are examined, emphasising the importance of discussion and the dialogical relationship between the teacher and the student. The analysis shows that the values of integrated existential education can strengthen students’ motivation to study and their responsible involvement in the study process, self-awareness, and create a meaningful learning experience.

The Rupture of Being: From the Ontological Abyss to the Presence of the Consecrated Self

2026-07-11T08:33:18+03:00

This article analyzes the ‘Rupture of Being’ as an ultimate existential experience triggered by war. The author explores the ontic state where the traumatic past pierces the future, creating a ‘trace of inevitability’ and leading to the radical collapse of a predictable world. Methods. Synthesizing phenomenology and cognitive anthropology, the study examines metaphysical entropy through Stefan Zweig, Zygmunt Bauman, and Jean-Luc Marion’s ‘saturated phenomenon’. It utilizes the concepts of ‘bleeding nationhood’ and the ‘Icon of Nationhood’ (Pokrova). Results. The research conceptualizes a path of initiation: the transition from the paralyzing ‘Idol’ of war to the ‘Living Countenance’ (Epiphany). This encounter triggers a noetic resonance and spiritual smelting. Through this rebirth, the connection to the flesh and land reveals the Living Icon, facilitating existence directly from the epicenter of chaos. Conclusions. Overcoming decay is achieved through spiritual initiation. The process replaces rigid constructs with new architectonics of consciousness and a plastic spirit, creating a bridge to a new Logos.

The Soviet Look (Le regarde) in Lithuania

2026-07-11T08:33:53+03:00

This paper consolidates an existentialist understanding of the Soviet Look. A significant aspect of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist philosophy, gaze theory or the look (Le regarde), is redeployed within the context of Soviet Lithuania, a pertinent choice as Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir visited Lithuania in 1965. The primary aim thereof is to reconstruct the Soviet look from a Sartrean perspective. A primary problematic is integral to the Soviet look; a look whose raison d'être is to fix Soviet Lithuanian as an objective world, a being-in-itself [1’etre-en-soi], in the face of a contradictory need, as Lithuanian self, to have an authentic lived experience, a Lithuanian being-for-itself [l'etie-poui-soi]. The process of objectification of Lithuanian subject occurs without an immediate gaze, which means that the kernel of the Soviet look is that it turns the subject into an object not so much as in absentia, but rather in an atmospheric, attunement manner. While the attributes of the Soviet look are referenced, including its controlling, panoptic presence, a crucial existentialist contribution is that the Soviet gaze is in bad faith.

Socratic Intelligence as Applied for Artificial and Human Agents

2026-07-11T08:34:49+03:00

This essay introduces the concept of Socratic Intelligence and analyzes the following premises: 1. Artificial agents and human agents learn through observations, interactions, and examination of the observations and interactions. 2. What is learned by artificial and human agents depends on metacognition and reinforcement. 3. Socratic Intelligence includes epistemic curiosity, critical self-awareness, assumption analysis, dialogical competence, and intellectual humility. 4. Generative Socratic Intelligence can tutor human agents and help them to learn by Socratic questioning integrated into Intelligent Tutoring Systems or Large Language Models. 5. Generative Socratic Intelligence can help itself self-regulate by Socratic method applied to computational processes.

The Importance of the Conception of Life for the Philosophy of Sustainable Development

2026-07-11T08:35:11+03:00

Bergson’s conception of life can provide the basis for the philosophy of the doctrine of sustainable development. The paper distinguishes not only three essential components of the doctrine (ecology, economy, social policy), not only two contexts necessary for its implementation (technologies, culture or a change in the way of thinking), but also the specifics of the inter-relationship among all these structural parts of the doctrine. By analysing two modalities of the experience of life, articulated in Bergson’s philosophy, it is shown how the implementation of the doctrine of sustainable development is structurally dependent on them. Each of the components of the doctrine is analysed in interaction with the élan vital and its fundamental expression in human consciousness which Bergson calls “creative emotion”.

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2026-05-19T12:15:51+03:00

2026-05-19T12:17:35+03:00

Patriotism in the Age of War and Globalisation: Contemporary Dilemmas of Ukrainian Youth

2026-05-19T14:52:58+03:00

This article examines how Ukrainian youth who have remained in the country during the wartime understand patriotism and evaluate the migration decisions of their peers. The study is situated in the context of the prolonged armed conflict initiated by the Russian Federation and intensified by the full-scale invasion in 2022, which has profoundly shaped the socialisation and life strategies of the Ukrainian post-Maidan generation. Based on the quantitative data collected using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) method (n = 742), the article analyses declared levels of patriotism, attitudes toward emigration during the war, and factors influencing decisions to stay in Ukraine. Due to wartime constraints, the initial probability-based distribution of the questionnaire could not be fully implemented. As a result, the sampling procedure shifted toward a non-probability design based on voluntary participation, with an additional snowball dissemination through respondents’ peer networks, resulting in a convenience sample with elements of snowball sampling. Qualitative data from an open-ended survey question complement the analysis by capturing students’ moral reasoning and perceptions of the social consequences of youth migration. The findings show that approximately 87% of respondents identify themselves as patriots and that the war has significantly strengthened their sense of national identity. At the same time, respondents expressed ambivalence toward equating staying in Ukraine directly with patriotism. The hypothesis that declared patriotism would be the primary factor preventing migration was only partially confirmed. Family ties, concerns about personal safety abroad, financial constraints, and language barriers proved more influential than patriotic motivation alone. Most respondents assessed their peers’ decisions to leave Ukraine in a neutral or positive manner, emphasising unequal opportunities to migrate.
The results indicate that Ukrainian youth combine a strong national attachment with openness to mobility shaped by globalisation and structural constraints. Remaining in Ukraine or migrating abroad should therefore be understood as alternative strategies of coping and self-realisation rather than mutually exclusive indicators of patriotism.

“I Became a Man”: The Unmaking of Transnational Marriages Among Displaced Ukrainians in Lithuania

2026-05-19T14:52:33+03:00

The 2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine produced an unprecedented gender-selective displacement and separated millions of wives and children from husbands bound by the mobilisation law. This paper aims to examine and demonstrate how wartime displacement has unmade transnational marriages among displaced Ukrainian women in Lithuania. The primary data of the research is drawn from the multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork conducted across five Lithuanian cities between 2024 and 2025. Based on 22 Ukrainian interlocutors (17 women and 5 men), the study traces how spousal roles, obligations, and emotional bonds were reconfigured and were eventually unmade under the pressures of separation. Grounded in transnational social fields theory, moral economy frameworks, and constructivist gender theory, the analysis identifies three interlocking processes driving marital breakdown: the enforcement of gendered moral scripts demanding that men fight and women wait; the progressive emotional alienation produced by protracted separation and diverging life trajectories; and the identity transformation of displaced wives who assumed traditionally male spousal roles in exile, encapsulated in the recurring phrase ‘I became a man’. The paper argues that these marital breakdowns, though perceived as individual cases of failures by the interlocutors themselves, are structurally produced outcomes of wartime moral regimes operating simultaneously across two societies. This study contributes to migration studies by foregrounding breakdown and fragility rather than resilience, and is based primarily on women’s accounts, a limitation that is explicitly acknowledged throughout.

Sport, Identity, and the 'Other': Experiences of Indian Migrants Playing Cricket in Lithuania

2026-05-19T14:52:32+03:00

The article analyses interviews conducted with Lithuania-based Indian cricket players. By drawing on the concepts of transnationalism and social identity, the article examines what function cricket performs in integrating into life in a new country and how sport allows Indians to cultivate multiple identities. Cricket for immigrants becomes a space of social relationships and status building. However, it also functions as a safety net, allowing participants to escape everyday experiences and mitigate the challenges of integration. Since cricket in Lithuania is not well developed, some immigrants work towards creating clubs and popularising the sport. In this way, cricket moves beyond the boundaries of a closed ethnic community and becomes part of the public space.

Schrödinger’s Cats: On the Origins of Uncertainty and its Impact on Belarusian Immigrant Families in Lithuania

2026-05-19T14:52:31+03:00

This article examines how uncertainty shapes the lives of migrant families and the strategies they employ to navigate it, focusing on Belarusian families in Lithuania. In Lithuania, rapidly shifting legal frameworks and politicised migration debates have produced heightened instability. Particular attention is paid to the legal dimension of uncertainty, which constrains planning horizons and reverberates across households through the principle of linked lives. The study draws mainly on the qualitative data collected in 2025 through semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions with Belarusian families. Research participants often described living in a ‘suspended state’, reminiscent of Schrödinger’s cat, where shifting rules curtailed long-term planning and outcomes remained unknown until the last moment. Families relied on multiple information channels to compensate for fragmented official signals, yet informational complexity itself often deepened uncertainty, producing ‘swings’ in decision making and prompting suboptimal choices such as repeated relocation. The article contributes to migration sociology by conceptualising uncertainty not only as an external condition but also as a cognitive state generated within volatile information environments. Introducing the notion of cognitive uncertainty, borrowed from behavioural economics, we show how subjective doubt about the optimal decision helps explain migrants’ strategies under unstable institutional and discursive contexts. Policy implications include the need for clearer procedures and stronger integration measures. Balanced media coverage is essential to avoid amplifying distrust. Although limited by its qualitative scope and national focus, the study opens avenues for comparative and quantitative research on the long-term consequences of uncertainty for migrant adaptation and wellbeing.

Tensions of Social Segregation in Neringa: What does the Label of an ‘Invasive’ Tell us About Relations of Social, Symbolic and Physical Space?

2026-05-19T14:52:29+03:00

This chapter examines the social tensions resulting from rising social segregation in the Curonian Spit. The analysis of these processes shows a limited explanatory power of the gentrification debate or its derivative notions. Based on the case study of the Neringa city, the core of which is constituted of housing histories of new-comers and old-timers of this area, the article shows important contextual nuances of this place, which are important for understanding of the experience of socio-spatial segregation, as well as their causes and the effects. The old-timers of Neringa are observing changing lifestyles, which affect the symbolic meanings of this place. They experience feelings of symbolic displacement. At the same time, new-comers of the place are facing difficulties of social integration. They are labelled as the ‘invasives’. With this case, study the reader is invited to critically revisit preconceived explanations of the main actors and outcomes of segregation processes outlined in gentrification debates. As a methodological alternative, the Bourdieusian triad of social space, symbolic space and physical space is suggested to explain socio-spatial changes in such areas.

Microcredentials as a Sociological Phenomenon: Transformation of Lifelong Learning in the Digital Society

2026-05-21T12:37:55+03:00

Microcredentials are increasingly discussed as an emerging phenomenon of the digital society, reflecting broader transformations in the ways knowledge, skills and employability are recognised and validated. This paper examines the role of microcredentials through a systematic literature review of scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, conducted using the PRISMA methodology. The study focuses on how academic research conceptualises microcredentials and how they relate to contemporary changes in education systems, labour markets and lifelong learning. The analysis combines stakeholder mapping with thematic coding focused on recognition, institutional trust, labour-market alignment, and social inequality. The findings indicate that microcredentials create flexible opportunities for reskilling and upskilling and support more modular and demand-oriented forms of learning. From a sociological perspective, microcredentials can be understood as a mechanism through which education systems adapt to digital transformation and labour market pressures. The paper contributes to the broader discussion on how digitalisation reshapes lifelong learning and the institutional structures that govern access to recognised competencies.

Mnemonic Practices and Cultural Memory: Analysis of Symbols and Rituals

2026-05-19T14:53:00+03:00

The study aimed to address memorial practices in the context of the formation of cultural memory in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Memorial objects and their socio-cultural context were addressed in the study, including the processes of rethinking memory in the countries of the region after independence. To achieve the aim of the study, key memorials were selected, information about their symbolism and architecture was collected and systematised, and a comparison with global memorialisation practices was made. The study demonstrated that memorial sites in Central Asia contribute to the preservation of national identity and cultural memory by integrating local symbols, ornaments, religious motifs, and historical narratives. The symbolism of memorials in Central Asia combines history with cultural traditions, creating a unique space for collective commemoration. The rituals that accompany memorial practices reflect the desire for social unity through an emphasis on shared values and past events. The peculiarity of the region is that Soviet monuments, unlike in many other post-Soviet countries, are rarely dismantled. Instead, they adapt to new realities by rethinking symbolism, changing the context or integrating national motifs. This approach contributes to the formation of a unique narrative of national memory that organically connects the historical past with modern ideas of national identity and cultural heritage. The findings underline the importance of memorial objects as instruments of cultural memory and provide a broader perspective on their role in shaping socio-cultural identities in postcolonial societies.

The Phenomenology of Sustainability: From Ontic Indicators to the Search for Ontological Meaning

2026-07-11T08:32:50+03:00

Abstract

This study examines how sustainability should be understood not merely as a set of measurements and targets, but as a more profound philosophical concept. By temporarily suspending the instrumental and technical approaches dominant in current sustainability discourse, the study aims to uncover the fundamental conditions upon which the concept's meaning rests. A phenomenological method was adopted in the study, examining how sustainability is experienced as a matter of "meaning" and "value" and how it is linked to a sense of responsibility. The study's central argument is that measurable indicators (ontic level) gain legitimacy only when they are compatible with this deeper existential ground (ontological level) that gives them meaning. Through temporal consciousness and narratives, it is demonstrated how the act of "sustaining" creates a continuity between the past, present, and future.