The article presents an analysis of the concept of the art instinct. This is a notion introduced by Denis Dutton in his concept of the evolution of art. The autor analyses the internal coherency of Dutton’s concept and its implications, with investigations in the context of evolutionary biology and biological anthropogenesis. The article’s conclusions are that: (1) the idea of art instinct is incoherent and difficult to uphold in the light of contemporary knowledge of the mechanisms of evolution and the course of anthropogenesis; (2) it is, however, a notion that is convenient and explanatorily efficient, as long as one accepts—among other things—the reservation about the non-teleological course of evolution; (3) the art instinct and the phenomenon of art cannot be explained without referring to social processes.

The paper aims to critically analyse media discourse on the “Venus” female nude exhibitions, organized annually in Kraków between 1970 and 1991. By analysing discourse that legitimised nudity in the public sphere, the paper sheds light on ways in which attitudes toward sexuality and the body changed during the so-called Gierek decade. The source base consists primarily of press publications, newsreels, and photo books from the 1970s. As the paper demonstrates, there were three dominant frameworks of discussing nudity in state-socialist Poland: artistic, pornographic and educational. Moreover, historical discourse analysis allows us to observe the role female nudes played in setting the stage for the Polish sexual revolution in the second half of the 1980s.

Turkowski refers to Michał Przeperski’s much-read biography of Mieczysław F. Rakowski, which constitutes interesting literature not only for those interested in the political history of the Polish People’s Republic, but also for those researching social processes in post-war Poland. In particular, Turkowski ascertains that one can discover numerous valuable observations concerning the issue of social advancement in this biography, observations that question the durability of the heritage of the system of real socialism in this respect.

Commenting on Łukasz Bertram’s book on Polish communists, Kula appreciates Bertram’s efforts in presenting and understanding the communists and their movement. Bertram does not limit himself to presenting solely the facts; he does not judge communism, since a great deal has already been said on that topic. He analyses, or above all takes a good look at, how the communists thought and the conditioning they were subjected to. He creates a picture significantly more complex than that currently functioning in Poland, and skilfully combines the approaches of historians and sociologists. This is a connection worth supporting, and the book in question constitutes a good example of how much it can give.

Artykuł zawiera analizę jednego z kierunków przemian praktyk autobiograficznych prowadzonych w Internecie, czyli spadek znaczenia utrwalania i archiwizowania treści autobiograficznych, który następuje wraz ze wzrostem popularności przekazów efemerycznych, na przykład wiadomości usuwanych automatycznie po jednokrotnym wyświetleniu. Wskazany kierunek przemian praktyk autobiograficznych w środowisku sieciowym zilustrowano przykładami takich formatów, jak internetowe strony domowe, blogi, platforma społecznościowa Facebook czy aplikacja Snapchat. Przedstawiono kolejne stadia procesu ewolucji praktyk autobiograficznych online, jednak należy nadmienić, że proces ten ma charakter ciągły i jego poszczególne etapy się przenikają. Zarysowany kierunek przemian praktyk autobiograficznych w internecie jest w niniejszym artykule analizowany w odniesieniu do procesualnej teorii mediów i koncepcji zwrotu efemerycznego.