The aim of present paper is to introduce the concept of ‘expressive perception’ in Ernst Cassirer’s philosophical mythology. Having Cited Dorothy Emmet’s methodological objection, the author, by recalling Kantian aspect of Cassirer’s thought and referring to the concept of ‘expressive perception’, would make an attempt to reply on his part: according to Cassirer, this level of perceptive experience is the origin of the mythical form of thinking as a whole and, at the same time, is the original and irreducible altogether. (...) Thus, taking ‘mythical thought’ as an independent form of thinking, beside the ‘critical-empirical’ form of thinking, is, for one thing, completely cogent; for another, due to its dependency upon expressive form of perception, mythical thought would never be quite omitted, rather, keep living latently beneath the skin of mental life. In addition, author explains how much Cassirer owes, regarding to the concept of ‘expressive form of perception’, to Max Scheler. Avoiding to elaborate on Scheler’s detailed argument, Cassirer relies strongly on the consequences Scheler draws from his considerations in his work ‘Wesen und Formen der Sympathie’. Restating Scheler’s argument briefly should help in understanding Cassirer’s idea. (shrink)

This article proposes an analysis of changes implemented during Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration (20032003), which displayed bias against changes and introduced schemes to justify the systems it upheld. Transmutations wrought during Abdullah's tenure may have been neither substantial nor totalizing, but within the conservative paradigm which had long gripped national politics, Abdullah's deviations were significant nevertheless.

Teknoloji olgusu, bir taraftan toplumun ihtiyaçlarını karşılamakta diğer taraftan da toplumda bir kültür deformasyonuna neden olmaktadır. Teknolojinin; televizyon, cep telefonu, bilgisayar gibi cihazlar aracılığıyla toplumda değişim ve dönüşümlere neden olduğu görülmektedir. Son zamanlarda özellikle genç nüfus arasında, sosyal medyanın etkisi söz konusu olmakta ve bu durum kültürel bir deformasyona neden olmaktadır. Toplumun temeli olan ailede dayanışma ilişkilerinin giderek zayıflamasında, yeni neslin iletişim dilinde meydana gelen bozulmalarda, toplumun tek boyutlu bir insan haline dönüşmesinde, gelenek ve göreneklerde meydana gelen değişimlerde teknolojinin izleri (...) görülmektedir. Sürekli bir değişim ve dönüşüme maruz kalan toplumsal yapı; son zamanlarda gelişen teknolojinin etkisinde kalarak teknolojik kültüre doğru evrilmektedir. Teknolojik cihazların kullanılmasıyla şekillenen teknolojik kültür, toplumun risk toplumuna dönüşmesinde aktif rol oynamaktadır. Her şeyin simülasyon haline geldiği risk toplumunda, gerçeklik ve doğruluk ortadan kalmakta ve herkes bir risk çemberinin içine girmeye başlamaktadır. Özel hayatın hiçbir gizliliğinin kalmadığı teknoloji çağında, teknolojinin risklerinden çocukları ve gençleri koruma da ayrı bir önemi gerektirmektedir. Özellikle çocukların ve gençlerin teknolojik cihazlara olan bağlılıkları, onların sosyo-kültürel yaşamını olumsuz yönde etkilemektedir. Bu çalışmamızda da hayatımızda önemli bir yere sahip olan televizyon, cep telefonu, bilgisayar gibi teknolojik cihazların, kültürel deformasyonda ve toplumsal değerlerin yitirilmesinde nasıl bir etkiye sahip olduğu anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. (shrink)

In June 2021, new waves of the current COVID-19 pandemic are still messing up our lives and magnetizing the compass of our life. No other epidemics or pandemics have been politicized at such a level since ancient times. The full political spectrum from right to left has tried to ride this pandemic and upset the public health response efforts. Statistics and politics have changed our daily approach to this brutal infection, but even crueler has been the palpable miscommunication. Massive and (...) uncontrolled lockdowns and not climate change are destroying the economy of our planet. Intolerance against vaccine opponents and hesitant families has been vocalized with martial tones in both social media and news channels. In this book, the author analyzes the pandemic in a historical context, emphasizes the importance of facemasks, but also highlights our human approach to anti-mask psychology. It would be appalling to call mistakes in public health decisions "learned lessons" because it reduces the gravity of the consequences of inadequate communication. Our youth is our future. The mental issues arising from a lack of social interaction and in-person education are dreadful. Vaccines are powerful and represent the most outstanding progress in medicine. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but vaccine acceptance or herd immunity is not the answer, or probably, not the only one. There is true hope that we are going back to our world, but the COVID-19 pandemic may be an occasion to reconsider the traditional family in the center of our lives and daily politics. A tolerance towards any race needs to be contagious, militant, and blazing to vehemently rebuild and revitalize the American Dream. (shrink)

Sosyal bilimlerde sosyo-kültürel ve etno-sosyolojik araştırmalar geniş bir yer tutar. Bir grubun sosyo-kültürel ve etno-sosyolojik değişkenler özelinde kendisini nasıl tanımladığı araştırılan bir husustur. Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinde yaşayan alt kültür grupları bu değişkenler bağlamında incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma Türkiye’de yaygın bir şekilde yaşayan gruplardan biri olan Karakeçililerden, Siverek Karakeçilerini incelemiştir. Siverek Karakeçilileri; etnografik bir alan araştırmasıyla, kendi yaşam alanlarına katılım sağlanarak elde edilen verilerle incelenmiştir. Veriler MAXQDA nitel veri analiz programı aracılığıyla değerlendirmiştir. Mehmet Eröz 1982’de aynı grubu aynı alanda incelemiştir. Makalede; Eröz’ün (...) tespitleri ile araştırmacının tespitleri karşılaştırmalı bir şekilde ele alınmıştır. Böylelikle iki çalışma arasındaki uzun süre zarfı göz önüne alınarak, Siverek Karakeçililerinin yaşadığı değişim ve dönüşüm değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma bu yönüyle özgünlük arz etmektedir. (shrink)

Sosyal bilimlerde sosyo-kültürel ve etno-sosyolojik araştırmalar geniş bir yer tutar. Bir grubun sosyo-kültürel ve etno-sosyolojik değişkenler özelinde kendisini nasıl tanımladığı araştırılan bir husustur. Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinde yaşayan alt kültür grupları bu değişkenler bağlamında incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma Türkiye’de yaygın bir şekilde yaşayan gruplardan biri olan Karakeçililerden, Siverek Karakeçilerini incelemiştir. Siverek Karakeçilileri; etnografik bir alan araştırmasıyla, kendi yaşam alanlarına katılım sağlanarak elde edilen verilerle incelenmiştir. Veriler MAXQDA nitel veri analiz programı aracılığıyla değerlendirmiştir. Mehmet Eröz 1982’de aynı grubu aynı alanda incelemiştir. Makalede; Eröz’ün (...) tespitleri ile araştırmacının tespitleri karşılaştırmalı bir şekilde ele alınmıştır. Böylelikle iki çalışma arasındaki uzun süre zarfı göz önüne alınarak, Siverek Karakeçililerinin yaşadığı değişim ve dönüşüm değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma bu yönüyle özgünlük arz etmektedir. (shrink)

The paper describes the design of an intelligent tutoring system for teaching Introduction to Computer Science-a compulsory curriculum in Al-Azhar University of Gaza to students who attend the university. The basic idea of this system is a systematic introduction into computer science. The system presents topics with examples. The system is dynamically checks student's individual progress. An initial evaluation study was done to investigate the effect of using the intelligent tutoring system on the performance of students enrolled in computer science (...) curriculum at Al-Azhar University, Gaza. The results showed a positive impact on the evaluators. (shrink)

Guidelines on ethics and military life for new officers of Malaysian Army.

Kentler, ikincil ilişkilerin meydana geldiği, işbölümünün ve uzmanlaşmanın arttığı mekânlardır. Giderek daha çekici hale gelen kentler, insanlar tarafından tercih edilen mekânlar olmaya başlamış ve kentleşme olgusunu ortaya çıkarmıştır. Kent nüfusunun artması olarak ifade edilen kentleşme kentlileşmeyi, kentlileşme de toplumsal ve kültürel değişimleri beraberinde getirmiştir. Kentleşme, konut sorununu da görünür kılmakta ve konut sorununun çözümü gelir gruplarına göre değişiklik arz etmektedir. Alt gelir grubunda olan insanlar bu konut sorununu gecekondu denilen yapılarla çözmeye çalışmış ancak gecekondular devlet hazinesine yapılmış yapılar olması dolayısıyla (...) devlet tarafından kentsel dönüşümü gerçekleştirmek amacıyla engellenmek istenmiştir. Bu durumda devlet hem gecekondulaşmayı engellemek hem de dar gelirli yoksul ailelerin konut ihtiyacını gidermek amacıyla Toplu Konutlar İdaresi’ni kurmuştur. Bu kapsamda yapılan konutlardan zaman içinde çeşitli gelir grubunda yer alan insanlar faydalanmaya başlamıştır. TOKİ konutlarında yaşamanın sosyo-kültürel yapı üzerindeki etkilerinin anlaşılmaya çalışıldığı bu çalışma, Isparta’nın Akkent Mahallesi’ndeki TOKİ konutlarında yapılmıştır. Çeşitli gelir gruplarının yaşamını sürdürdüğü TOKİ konutlarında memnuniyet durumu, TOKİ konutlarında yaşanan sorunlar, dayanışma ilişkileri de anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Akkent Mahallesi’ndeki TOKİ konutlarında yaşamanın sosyo-kültürel yapı üzerinde çeşitli etkilere sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Farklı kültürlere ve farklı gelirlere sahip olan insanların Akkent Mahallesi’ndeki TOKİ konutlarında bir araya gelmiş olmaları birtakım sorunları da beraberinde getirmiştir. Özellikle kırsal kesimden gelen ve apartman kültürüne alışık olmayan insanların binadaki diğer insanlarla uyum sorunu yaşadıkları görülmektedir. (shrink)

This study provides a detailed description of ways in which Muslim astronomers handled the Greek astronomical legacy, reassessed its cultural and philosophical implications in light of their religiously-inspired world view, and proposed to modify it.

Decolonization and Psychoanalysis challenges traditional psychoanalytic frameworks by revisiting Lacan's conceptualization of the materiality of speech through a decolonial lens. Ahmad Fuad Rahmat explores how Lacan's ideas about the symbolic order and its historical development are intertwined with colonial assumptions, and proposes that rethinking these assumptions can pave the way for a decolonial psychoanalysis. The book explores how Lacan uses Freud's Jewishness as a marginalized perspective that reveals the excluded dimensions of signification within the symbolic order, and examines James (...) Joyce's anti-colonial politics and its significance for Lacan's conception of the sinthome. The critique extends to Slavoj Žižek's Eurocentric readings of Malcolm X as a foil with which colonized speech could be conceived as 'symbolic dispossession.' Finally, it reframes the gap by understanding global capitalism as a mode of exchange to advocate for a decolonial psychoanalysis that focuses on the gaps and non-spaces of transmission as opposed to a like for like export of the clinic from the center to the periphery. Decolonization and Psychoanalysis will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies, critical theory and cultural studies. (shrink)

This paper explores the representation of Laji’een and Muhajireen in Jordan News Agency. It uses the headlines of a 2.5 million word corpus of Arabic news articles in a time span of 5 years from 2012 to 2016. Chronologically analyzing the headlines shows a change in the representation of and attitudes towards refugees and migrants over the investigated period. The analysis of the headlines shows that 2012 starts with providing the assistance to the refugees then at a later stage of (...) 2012 and in 2013 and 2014, the language is shifted to calling for assistance to the country to contribute to solving the problem. In 2015, the language is changed to be more alerting about the scarce in funding. In 2016, the headlines have changed the focus to Europe due to the migration of the refugees. This motivates the National News Agency of Jordan to highlight the suffering of Europe because of the refugees despite having the capacity and resources to host the migrant refugees. The paper concludes that language in general, and the language of media in particular can change the attitudes of people and governments toward critical issues and phenomena like migration and asylum. (shrink)

This paper is a philosophical reflection on how the development of science and technology can be studied better through the tradition of Islamic philosophy. This is attempted because the approach that has been used to study science and technology in the Islamic world is still centered on the process of assimilation or Islamization of Knowledge. In a critical reading of the two approaches, the problems that arise from the study of contemporary science and technology become something that is difficult to (...) anticipate. In fact, the development of science and technology is also moving very fast. This raises the question of the need for alternative approaches in the study of contemporary science and technology in the arena of Islamic Philosophy. To solve this problem, the author conducted an initial experiment that could elaborate Irfani's approach on the one hand with studies of contemporary science and technology on the other. This becomes possible with the reinterpretation of the concept of emanation that exists in the discourse of Yazdiyah's Hudhuri Science. Based on this interpretation as well as the perspective that Mishbah Yazdi has made about the help of Irfan in philosophy, the application of the Irfani approach in the study of science and technology becomes possible as part of the practice of Hudhuri Science. On a more practical level, the author also uses this Irfani approach in a scenario format to read the vision of contemporary science and technology in the NBIC discourse. (shrink)

In this paper, we present a non-geometrodynamic quantum Yang–Mills theory of gravity based on the homogeneous Lorentz group within the general framework of the Poincare gauge theories. The obstacles of this treatment are that first, on the one hand, the gauge group that is available for this purpose is non-compact. On the other hand, Yang–Mills theories with non-compact groups are rarely healthy, and only a few instances exist in the literature. Second, it is not clear how the direct observations of (...) space–time waves can be explained when space–time has no dynamics. We show that the theory is unitary and is renormalizable to the one-loop perturbation. Although in our proposal, gravity is not associated with any elementary particle analogous to the graviton, classical helicity-two space–time waves are explained. Five essential exact solutions to the field equations of our proposal are presented as well. We also discuss a few experimental tests that can falsify the presented Yang–Mills theory. (shrink)

According to property-emergentism, consciousness is an emergent property of certain aggregate neurological constructions, whereas substance-emergentism maintains that the emergence of consciousness depends on the emergence of mental substance or soul. In this article, we presented some arguments supporting substance-emergentism by analysing various properties of consciousness, including the first-person perspective, referral state, qualia, being active, causative, non-atomic, interpretative, inferential and inventive. We also explored the impossibility of representing big images on the small monitor and the incapacity of physical entities being conscious (...) because of their intrinsic multiplicity, absence and deficiency. These arguments, which apply the philosophy of Mulla Sadra, could be considered by philosophers of mind and religion, as well as theologians who follow some religious beliefs such as the afterlife on existence and survival of the soul. Also, we attempted to respond to property-emergentists' objections to substance-emergentism.CONTRIBUTION: This research contributes to prove and accept the emergence of the immaterial soul after the stages of natural evolution of the body. It uses the basics of emergentism, including natural evolution, to link science and religion in believing the existence of the immaterial soul. Demonstrating the immaterial reality of human existence provides the ground for theological issues such as afterlife and religious morality. (shrink)

The setting of evidential standards is a core practice of scientific assessment for policy. Persuaded by considerations of inductive risk, philosophers generally agree that the justification of evidential standards must appeal to non-epistemic values but debate whether the balance of non-epistemic reasons favours varying evidential standards versus maintaining fixed high evidential standards in assessment, as both sets of standards promote different and important political virtues of advisory institutions. In this paper, I adjudicate the evidential standards debate by developing a novel (...) argument from justice, drawing on the IPCC’s assessment of climate impacts as a case study. I argue that in assessments marked by background evidential inequality, maintaining fixed high evidential standards results in an unequal distribution of ‘epistemic power’ among stakeholders, producing a ‘powerful assessment’ for the data-rich (a high rate of findings) and a ‘weak assessment’ for the data-poor (a low rate of findings). Where such inequalities of epistemic power disadvantage those in data-poor regions with respect to fundamental interests, such as basic human rights, we have decisive reasons of justice to vary evidential standards. (shrink)

Bu çalışma hicrî birinci asrın ikinci yarısında Basra’da hadis ve fıkıh sahasındaki ilmî hareketliliği konu edinir. İlgili dönemde, orada yaşayan sahâbenin en meşhuru ve Hz. Peygamber’le en uzun süre birlikteliğe sahip olması hasebiyle, Enes b. Mâlik’in Basra’daki etkisi özel olarak ele alınır. Bu amaçla Enes b. Mâlik’le ilgili birçok rivayet tahlil edilir ve onun hem Basra’da hem de diğer şehirlerde yaşayan sahâbe ve tâbiûnla arasındaki ilmî ilişkileri üzerinde durulur. Çalışma mezkûr zaman diliminde Basra’da hadis faaliyetlerinin fazla, fıkıh faaliyetlerinin ise az (...) olduğunun tezahürlerini gösterir. Enes’in öğrencileri üzerindeki etkisi; öğrencilerinin fakih mi yoksa muhaddis mi olduğu araştırılır. Enes’in tabiûnla ilişkileri, kendisine yapılan rihleler, başka şehirlerde yaşayan fakih tabiûnun ondan rivayeti, İbn Ebî Şeybe’nin Musannef’i çerçevesinde onun fıkhî şahsiyeti ve başka meseleler incelenir. Böylece onun fıkhî melekesinin İbn Abbas ve İbn Ömer’le aynı derecede olmadığı ve benzer şekilde Basra’nın sahabenin fakihlerinden tabiûnun fakihlerine nakledilen “amel-i mütevâres”e önem veren Medine ve Kufe gibi bir fıkıh şehri olmadığı sonucuna ulaşılır. Basra, müksirûndan olan sahabî Enes b. Malik sayesinde hadislerin rivayetine, yayılmasına ve onlarla amel edilmesine önem verilen bir şehirdi. Ancak bu hadislerin yayılması aynı dönemde Mekke’de İbn Abbas’ın faaliyetleri ile kıyaslanabilecek bir fıkhî faaliyeti de beraberinde getirmedi. Dolayısıyla Basra sahabe döneminde fıkıh ilmî açısından geri kalırken hadis sahasında hareketliydi. Bu nedenle ona fıkıh ve “amel-i mütevâres” değil rivayet şehri denilmesini hak etmektedir. (shrink)

Collective action to protect individuals from all forms of threatening causes, including the Covid-19 pandemic, is urgently needed. The Covid-19 pandemic urged religious practices and traditions to adapt to a situation where a series of health protocols must be observed. In order to prevent the spread, World Health Organisation (WHO) issued strict health protocol rules. Some of these rules seem to be contradicted to traditions and religious practices. This article tries to investigate the ways religious societies react and respond to (...) the health crisis caused by Covid-19. In this respect, this paper strives to answer the questions of how Indonesian Muslims respond to the pandemic of Covid-19, how religion contributes to the prevention of transmission and infection, and overcomes the social problems impacted by the pandemic, and to analyze obstacles faced by Indonesian Muslims to enhance collective awareness to the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic. This article argues that civil or non-governmental religious leaders and groups, in general, play an important role to prevent and overcome the pandemic and after because of their independency to make decisions and awareness to the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. The involvement of religious leaders who have authority at the grassroots level strengthens the legitimacy of the obligation to comply with health protocols and has succeeded in reducing the rate of transmission and death and increasing healing. Religious authority owned by clergy at lower levels has also encouraged increased participation in social solidarity which is demanded instead to depart from diversity and not similarities, among others due to Covid-19. (shrink)

Atheism is an ideology that rejects the existence of God and has gained increasing prominence in societies globally, including Malaysia. Atheism significantly challenges the religious orientation of Malaysian society. Specifically, atheism challenges spiritual and ethical foundations, unity, and cultural heritage linked to religious beliefs. Understanding these challenges is vital to formulate proactive measures, education, and informed dialogue to mitigate the negative impact of atheism on Malaysian society. This study explored the effects of atheism on Malaysian religious society via library research (...) analysis. Scholarly articles, books, and reputable online resources on religious and atheism underwent content analysis, which yielded five key findings. Firstly, atheism leads to the loss of spiritual guidance and morality. Secondly, atheism potentially erodes ethical values and societal norms, and subsequently reduces social trust and cohesion. Thirdly, atheism contributes to moral relativism and ethical ambiguity, which potentially undermines established moral frameworks and social norms. Fourthly, atheism can weaken community cohesion. Lastly, atheism threatens religious institutions and practices. Additionally, the absence of the role of God might undermine the cultural and heritage importance of religion. This study presented critical insights on the negative societal effects of atheism. By exploring the potential consequences of atheism on social cohesion, moral foundations, and existential perspectives, this study highlighted the need for religious education as part of atheism prevention and rehabilitation. (shrink)

ملخّـــــــــــــــص. بشارات، أحمد محمد. الالتفات في السّرد القرآني. رسالة دكتوراه في جامعة اليرموك. 2015م. (المشرف: أ.د. يوسف أبو العدوس). يعرض البحث ثلاث قضايا: الأولى، بنية الالتفات النصّي في محاولة لإجراء مفهوم يصدق على التشكّل البنيوي للالتفات النصّي، بإقامة تقابلات وظيفية بين الالتفات ووظيفتين في الدراسات السّرديّة: وظيفة الحافز ووظيفة التحفيز. إنّ الالتفات النصّي يتشكّل وفقًا للاعتبار الدلاليّ؛ فالتصوّر الشّكلي(=البنيّة التركيبية) غير وارد في إقامة مفهوم وظيفيّ للالتفات النصّي؛ أي أنّ بنيّة الالتفات بنيّة فوق صرفيّة(=صيغة الكلمة)، وفوق نحوية(=مسند ومسند إليه=جملة)، فالالتفات (...) النصّي مختلف عن الالتفات في الدّرس البلاغيّ القديم(=التفات الضمائر والأفعال...)؛ فقد يكون الالتفات النصّي مسندًا، أو إسنادًا، أو عدة جمل متتابعة(=آية أو عدة آيات في هذا البحث). والقضية الثانية، إجراء تحليل بنيويّ للالتفات النصّي في الخطاب القرآني، فالالتفات النصّي بناء لسانيّ مثير للاهتمام من جهتي الشكل والمعنى، إذ يتعالق الالتفات بمستويات واسعة من البناء النصّي في الخطاب القرآني، يدعو هذا إلى تحليل بنيّة التعالق اللسانيّ بإقامة الروابط البنيويّة في مستوى واسع من الخطاب القرآني، وهو ما قدّمه البحث في وظيفتيّ الإحالة والتكرار. والقضية الثالثة، محاولة إجراء مقاربات في المعنى، إذ يتعالق نصّ الالتفات بمستويات دلاليّة منفتحة، فمثلاً يتعالق الالتفات "وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا" (24\البقرة) في فكرة الإعجاز في آيات التحدي في مستوى واسع من المعنى، إذ يقدّم التحدي وظيفة مركزية في القضاء على اعتقاد الآلهة، وإقامة الاعتقاد لله وحده؛ لقد وُضِع المشكّكون في حرج، إذ يتوجب على آلهتهم أن تقدّم لهم خطابًا إلهيًا. وفي جانب آخر لم يجر التحدي في منحىً وظيفيّ واحد، فالتحدي بسورة غير التحدي بعشر سور، والتحدي بسورة وبعشرٍ غيره في مثلية القرآن {فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِثْلِهِ} (34\الطور)؛ إنّ هذه التحولات الوظيفية في سرديّة التحدي تقدّم ثلاثة أمور مهمة-وفق هذا البحث على الأقلّ- أ-وظيفة توحيد الله، ب-وظيفة حفظ الخطاب الإلهي مقابلاً للتحريف والافتراء، ج-الوظيفة التواصلية(= الوحي من طريق جبريل) مقابلاً لقولهم إنّ الرسول كاهن أو شاعر أو مجنون، فالمشككون يعتقدون تواصليةً في الكهنة والسحر مع عالم الجنّ، فأسقطوا ذلك على الخطاب الإلهي. -/- . (shrink)

Talk of mechanisms is ubiquitous in the natural sciences. Interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry and pharmacy frequently discuss mechanisms with the assistance of diagrams. Such diagrams usually depict entities as structures or boxes and activities or interactions as arrows. While some of these arrows may indicate causal or componential relations, others may represent temporal or operational orders. Importantly, what kind of relation an arrow represents may not only vary with context but also be underdetermined by empirical data. In this manuscript, (...) we investigate how an analysis of pharmacological mechanisms in terms of producing and underlying mechanisms—as discussed in the contemporary philosophy of science—may shed light on these issues. Specifically, we shall argue that while pharmacokinetic mechanisms usually describe causal chains of production, pharmacodynamics tends to focus on mechanisms of action underlying the in vivo effects of a drug. Considering the action of thyroid gland hormones in the human body as a case study, we further demonstrate that pharmacodynamic schemes tend to incorporate entities and interactions on multiple levels. Yet, traditional pharmacodynamic schemes are sketched “flat”, i.e., non-hierarchically. We suggest that transforming flat pharmacodynamic schemes into mechanistic multi-level representations may assist in disentangling the different kinds of mechanisms and relations depicted by arrows in flat schemes. The resulting Baumkuchen model provides a powerful and practical alternative to traditional flat schemes, as it explicates the relevant mechanisms and relations more clearly. On a more general note, our discussion demonstrates how pharmacology and related disciplines may benefit from applying concepts from the new mechanist philosophy to guide the interpretation of scientific diagrams. (shrink)

In this article, I will offer some remarks on and analysis of the epistemic approach to understanding dialogue and difference of its nature to negotiation. My conceptual deliberations on dialogue have been influenced by two contemporary European philosophers, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Karl Raimund Popper, as well as by the mystical and visionary elaborations of the Persian Islamic thinker, Jalaluddin Rumi of the thirteenth century. I will elaborate on the topics of dialogue and the arts of questioning and listening; dialogue and (...) the issue of language and being; and dialogue and its conduct. I will then address the socio-political conditions necessary for a genuine dialogue; and finally, I will briefly review UNESCO’s raison d'etre and conclude with a discussion of dialogue’s relevance to UNESCO’s mission. (shrink)

After some conceptual elaboration on the topic of the Dialogue among Civilizations, this article will give some examples of UNESCO’s contribution in this domain. DAC is intrinsically bound to the questions of identity and otherness through the role culture and civilization play in composing our identity. We forge our own identity through our culture; those who share this identity are insiders, and those who do not are outsiders. Some understandings of identity conclude in a lack of appreciation for the Others’ (...) identity, which is necessary to being a genuine partner in dialogue. At one extreme personal identity is not conceived as being subject to any changes during an individual’s lifetime; while at the other extreme, post-modernism perceives a person or a social group simply as a node in a network of relations. These definitions both suffer from the lack of a historical dimension and are based on a unitary conception of identity. The solution, as the reality of history also demonstrates, comes with a pluralistic view of identity, which not only solves some theoretical issues but also forms the only framework within which the possibility of dialogue can be assured. The wonderful consequence will then be that if absolute identity does not exist, neither can absolute otherness. We should then search for the shared roots between different cultures. It was a common scientific and philosophical culture, for example, that united Avicenna in Iran with St. Thomas Aquinas in the West; a culture going back to the Greek and Hellenistic thinkers. Globality should be understood as a visionary search for the discovery of the common roots of different cultures, rather than the dominance of any one particular culture or value system. The ethnocentric concept of culture and history can then be overcome. A genuine dialogue comes with the soul’s particular willingness to “convert” itself, to expose and risk one’s own ideas and positions. It brings us the possibility of overcoming trans-cultural dissensus on whether a particular practice violates one or another human right. And as we know from Averroes, the human soul comes from a unified universal soul. Finally, there is an inter-conceptual linkage among cultural diversity, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, sustainable development, human rights and cultural rights. UNESCO, by preserving and protecting cultural heritage, safeguarding cultural diversity, and promoting dialogue among cultures and civilizations, is contributing to its axiomatic constitutional goals, namely the construction of the defenses of peace in the minds of people through moral and intellectual solidarity. (shrink)

Relationship-oriented questions have always been at the crossroads of ethnoreligious identity, religious freedom, religious conversion, religious prejudice, and religious pluralism throughout Muslim-Buddhist co-existence in the sixth century within the Malay Archipelago. Other faiths could be freely practised except for propagation towards Muslim communities with Islam being the religion of the federation. This study aimed to explore Muslim-Buddhist relation types and the issues underpinning the following themes: history, identity, and concerns. Content and thematic analysis as well discourse analysis were utilised as (...) the study method for data collection and evaluation. Resultantly, the Muslim-Buddhist interaction pattern in Malaysia has occurred (culturally and religiously) from the early establishment of both religious communities. This relation, which has shifted in ethnoreligious orientation at every interaction level, opens more avenues and complexities requiring holistic management. (shrink)

The weaponizing of scientific expertise to oppose regulation has been extensively studied. However, the relevant studies, belonging to the emerging discipline of agnotology, remain focused on the analysis of empirical corruption: of misinformation, doubt mongering, and other practices that cynically deploy expertise to render audiences ignorant of empirical facts. This paper explores the wrongful deployment of expertise beyond empirical corruption. To do so, I develop a broader framework of morally subversive expertise, building on recent work in political philosophy (Howard, 2016). (...) Expertise is subversive if it sets up its audience to fail morally, either intentionally or negligently. I distinguish three modes of subversive expertise: empirical subversion (the focus of agnotology), normative subversion and motivational subversion. Drawing on these distinctions, I offer a revisionary account of the Trump Administration’s regulatory science as a case study. I show that the Trump Administration’s use of expertise to dismantle climate regulation, contra the standard charge, cannot be explained using the resources of agnotology alone: the Administration produced highly reliable climate assessments, detailing the risks of climate change, candidly admitting the harms of its proposed policies, and still successfully deployed these findings to justify massive climate deregulation. The lesson of the analysis is that dismissing the expertise that underpins climate deregulation as empirically corrupt ‘anti-science’ both obscures its actual role in the politics of climate change and understates its wrongfulness: it misses the breadth of the assault on moral agency that sustains climate injustice. (shrink)

This paper discusses Al-Rāniri ‘s criticism of the theological conception in Nusantara Sufism which contains elements of pantheism. This paper begins by describing the teachings of Waḥdah shuhūd in Sufism Al-Rāniri. This teaching believes in God, Allah as the only one and only being, while the universe is only a madzhar that testifies to the oneness of Allah Himself. That is why a being other than Allah is not separate, it is neither independent nor one with God. Based on this (...) view, Al-Rāniri criticizes, even kafuses the wujūdiyah followers because they tend to be pantheistic which unites God,Allah and humans. The Sufism teachings developed by Al-Rāniri were able to bring together sharia and Sufism. This teaching can be accepted by the people of the archipelago, Aceh in particular because the people of the Archipelago in the following years were colored by Sunni teachings that uphold the practice of sharia. This paper aims to find the position of Waḥdah shuhūd teachings in the context of Nusantara Islamic studies, especially in the field of Sufism, whose roots cannot be separated from the development of Sufism in the 17-18 century. Therefore, this study uses a descriptive-analytical approach while adhering to the accuracy of the analysis data that has been carried out by previous researchers. (shrink)

Acts of violence arising from hatred, racism, and bigotry have no place in a world of civility. The brutal attacks on Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, leaving 51 dead and 49 injured, can never be justified. Through adopting Van Dijk's ideological square of 'Us. vs. Them' [3], the present study uncovers the impact statements of the attacks' survivors and victims' families, denouncing the severity of the event and expressing the shattering effects of the attacks on self, (...) society, and humanity at large. Over a period of three days, about 90 people delivered their statements in the High Court in Christchurch. The data were compiled through YouTube videos and news articles that reported the testimonies. The findings showed that the overall discursive strategy used in the impact statements is that of positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation. Such presentations are realized by focusing on the positive aspects of the ingroup members represented by the attacks' survivors, victims' families, and people of New Zealand on the one hand, and the negative characteristics of the out-group members represented by the terrorist, on the other. As the paper sends a strong message for accepting 'otherness' and rejecting antagonism, it is of significance to readers and researchers in inter-faith dialogue, human rights, equality, freedom, and justice. (shrink)

Aristotle Middle Commentary on the Topics, comparing them, where necessary, to the testimonies collected by Boethius in his De topicis differentiis. In addition we show that the Themistian classification of loci was taken up by Abt al-Badb al-mub al-mu al-Barak thus reveals himself to be closer than Averroes to the testimony of Boethius. This suggests the idea of a double redaction by Themistius of the classification of loci: one, more concentrated, comes from an introduction to the paraphrase of the central (...) books of the Topics, which may have inspired Averroes; the other, more extensive, which will have been part of an original work, and inspired the classifications of Boethius and of Abt al-Badī. (shrink)

Acknowledging the foundational role of home is essential to understand the phenomenon of home-based work. Toward this end, we advocate the adoption of epistemic compassion in research on home-based work to move beyond reductionist views and illuminate the risks of modern slavery.

A part of chapter 1, Book II of the Physics of the Šif¯ ' is dedicated to the aristotelian definition of motion . The developments to which the treatment of this question gives rise are distinctive of the Avicennian style in his Physics . By assuming the notion of double entelechy, Avicenna is following the most classical exegetical tradition. However, by setting a correspondence between the double entelechy and the double notion of motion: 1) motion as an intermediary state, which (...) can be ascribed to a moving object at any instant of its trajectory, and 2) motion as a traversal of a given distance, which cannot be ascribed to the moving object, but at the end-point of its trajectory, Avicenna gives a new content to a lieu commun of the exegetical tradition. (shrink)

This volume offers interreligious and interdisciplinary insight into the cinematic-serial and literary narration of evil. Evil is an important motif in literature, film and series. We encounter it in the most diverse forms - be it the Joker from The Dark Knight, Goethe's Mephisto or in the Shiite theatre ritual of the Taʿziya. This volume attempts a closer exploration of what we know as evil, and yet find difficult to comprehend. In addition to Christian and Islamic perspectives, philosophical and mystical (...) considerations are also addressed. Evil, its aesthetic reception and the resulting perspectives on its reality are the focus of the multidisciplinary contributions. With contributions by Prof. Dr. Thomas Jürgasch, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Milad Karimi, Prof. Dr. Walter Lesch, Prof. Dr. Konrad Paul Liessmann, Dr. Maryam Palizban, Iyad Shraim and Prof. Dr. Reinhold Zwick. (shrink)

Little is known about the background of atheism in Malaysia and how Muslims respond to the phenomenon, although provocations by Malaysian atheists often take place on social media. This study addressed the gap by exploring the atheism phenomenon in Malaysia’s ethnoreligious-oriented society. Data were collected from in-depth interviews and content analysis using the qualitative method. All data were analysed thematically using the software for qualitative analysis, ATLAS.ti. The resulting superordinate themes that emerged from the analysis include the phenomenon of Malaysian (...) atheism, the factors for becoming atheists and the theme of arguments. The study’s findings are three-fold. Firstly, atheism started in Malaysia after globalisation began. Secondly, most Malaysian atheists were influenced by internal factors based on emotional–psychological elements rather than being scientifically oriented. Last but not least, the main themes of Malaysian atheist arguments are ‘God’s justice’, ‘the problem of evil’ and ‘science rationalism’. As a response, Muslims counter the atheism phenomenon by providing an effective approach to preserving social cohesion and harmony in an ethnoreligious society.Contribution: This article suggests that although atheism is regarded as a challenge to society since Malaysia is an ethnoreligious-oriented society, atheism needs to be countered through proper education as early prevention, besides encouraging healthy discussions. (shrink)

Purpose This paper aims to study the developed countries’ experience on the cyberbullying legal regulation among adolescents, to identify existing shortcomings in the developing countries’ laws and to develop recommendations for regulatory framework improvement. Design/methodology/approach The authors have studied the state regulatory practice of the UK, the USA, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, UAE and analyzed the statistics of 2018 on the cyberbullying manifestation among adolescents in these countries. Findings The study results can encourage countries to create separate cyberbullying legislation (...) and periodically review and modify already existing legislation. Originality/value The study provides a list of the recommendations to regulate cybercrime in developing countries and prevent it as well. The results may contribute to creating laws related to the regulation of cyberbullying in countries where such legislation does not exist yet or existing regulatory legal acts do not bring the expected results, namely, in Post-Soviet countries and other developing countries of the world. (shrink)