This article examines the anthropological cognitive aspects of the contemporary theological thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar, with particular emphasis on the analysis of the relationship between agathology and theodrama. Starting from the Swiss theologian’s theatrical and literary inspirations, the key link between agathology and agogics is established which, in turn, explains why the Basel theologian chose the good as the starting point for his theodramatic reflections. Conversely, it is shown that theodrama cannot be exhausted in theoagatology. In order to understand the depth of theodrama, an extended analysis of the dialogical aspect and the issue of the drama of choice is necessary. However, the essence of theodrama is discovered only when the central role of the paradox related to the problem of mysterium iniquitatis is considered. The theodramatic approach to this mystery and the proposal of the Swiss theologian regarding the positive view of this problem in the light of the indefinite finality paradox immersed in the mystery of the cross are subjected to thorough analysis here.

I argue in the paper that the conception of family resemblance discussed by Ludwig Wittgenstein in Philosophical Investigations is a result of the application of Wittgenstein’s general argument against rule‑following to the pragmatics of all concepts. My argument runs as follows: First, (1) I criticize interpretations of family resemblance as a ‘local’ theory, applicable only to some concepts. Next, (2) I present and criticise a classic argument against the conception of family resemblance. In the following section, (3) I analyse attempts to explicate family resemblance in terms of their possessing a common basic feature. I end my paper (4) by summarizing conclusions drawn from this critical review of literature and I briefly point to a possible solution of the difficulties generated by the concept of family resemblance.

The mathematical connections between microscale and macroscale models of a given piece of physical reality (compare e.g., statistical mechanics with thermodynamics) justify the following correlation thesis: a small change of value of a microscopic parameter (e.g. a change of number of molecules in a given volume of ideal gas) is correlated with a change of value of the associated macroscopic parameter (e.g. a change of temperature of ideal gas). The thesis stands in contradiction to one of the two premises in the sorites paradox, called here the condition of small change (cf. Paul Égré’s ‘tolerance principle’), according to which a small change of value of a microscopic parameter has negligible impact on a change of value of a corresponding macroscopic parameter. Acceptance of the correlation thesis results in a waiving of the condition of small change, and consequently provides a solution of the paradox. The correlation thesis coincides with Bertrand Russell’s view expressed in Vagueness (1923) where he argues that that vagueness in the macroscopic parameter is not of an ontological nature but only of an epistemological character, and is caused by looking at the physical system from a far-away perspective. This inexact picture results in an acquiescence with the inexact conditions that determine the impact of a small ontic change on its representation by the macroscopic ontic parameter. The macroscopic parameter is partly governed by its own conditions, according to the correlation thesis.

In this paper, the problem of aliasing and folding effects in spectrum of sampled signals in view of Information Theory is discussed. To this end, the information content of deterministic continuous time signals, which are continuous functions, is formulated first. Then, this notion is extended to the sampled versions of these signals. In connection with it, new signal objects that are partly functions but partly not are introduced. It is shown that they allow to interpret correctly what the Whittaker– Shannon reconstruction formula in fact does. With help of this tool, the spectrum of the sampled signal is correctly calculated. The result achieved demonstrates that no aliasing and folding effects occur in the latter. Finally, it is shown that a Banach–Tarski-like paradox can be observed on the occasion of signal sampling.