New magazine on philosophy is here to challenge the mind
A new biannual magazine on philosophy that just went on sale at kiosks and other outlets is putting readers’ minds into gear and posing new challenges to thinkers. Anyone who has studied it, even perfunctorily, knows that philosophy takes guts and that its pleasures can only be reaped after intense study. The new magazine, Ypomnima, dives right in at the deep end and offers pure philosophy straight up and unsullied by any postmodern mix with other disciplines. The magazine is an initiative by the publishing house Polis, which is well-known for its high-quality scholarly publications, and was established to promote the autonomy of philosophical thought, as well as because of the widespread perception that the magazine market is becoming increasingly open to a diverse range of subjects. Editor in chief of the magazine and University of Crete philosophy professor Vassilis Kalfas confirms that «it is obvious that today more people are showing an interest in philosophy than they were, say 15 years ago, when, for example, many seminal texts had not even been translated into Greek.» The main aim of Ypomnima is to publish texts that represent all the basic tenets of philosophy. As such, the first issue is dedicated to Kant’s «Critique of Pure Reason» (edited by Theodoros Penolidis) while the second issue will be based on Plato’s «Republic» (edited by Kalfas). «We do not want to make philosophy out as the panacea,» says Kalfas. «But we can help guide people who are interested in it. It is expected that Ypomnima will initially come across as being too rigid and professional, but I believe that over time, it will prove just how fertile the subject matter really is, especially through its discussion forum.» In the near future, the publishing house will also be setting up a committee of specialists who will be put in charge of Ypomnima and the selection of its contents.
