This article on the evolution of economic and monetary policy in Belgium, which turned the "sick man of Europe" into one of the stronger European economies and allowed it to enter into EMU, stresses the role of the monetary authorities as a stabilising force in Belgium. It gives a detailed analysis of how these changes have allowed Belgium to regain the confidence of both monetary authorities and international investors after the devaluation of 1982. The policy responses to the oil shock (...) at the beginning of the seventies broke with the policy mix which had until then been practised. Both the wage formation process andf iscal policy clearly spiralled out of control, the chiefresult of which was a drastic loss in international competitiveness. As a consequence, the current account showed a large deficit, the traditional level at which public deficit had stood rose dramatically, unemployment exploded and the financial structure of most corporations became fragile.A drastic realignment of economic policy started with the devaluation of the Belgian franc in 1982. This devaluation was accompanied by a series of measures aimed at preventing the inflationary pressures from triggering further devaluations, and hence at restoring credibility. These measures included restrictive fiscal policies and real wage cuts. By 1987 this recovery policy had successfully restored Belgian competitiveness, reduced the government deficit and restored the balance ofpayments equilibrium. Although public policies became less restrictive during the period 1988-1993, the central bank continued to gain international credibility. Significant stepsin this process were the abolition of the dual exchange rate system, the decision to peg the Belgian franc to the most stable currency in the ERM and the reform of the money markets in Belgium. The latter in particular helped to increase the central bank's independence, since this reform implied total control by the central bank over short term interest rates, it reduced significantly the automatic credit lines of the fiscal authorities with the central bank and it stipulated that revaluations of gold reserves should no langer be used to finance government budget deficits. By 1992 international credibility had been restored to such a degree that the Belgian franc became a strong currency during the 1992 crisis, obliging the central bank to come to the rescue of the weaker currencies under attack in September 1992 with a speculative inflow of capital of about 200 billion BEF. However this restored credibility continued to be fragile, as became evident during the 1993 exchange rate crisis when the Belgian franc was vigorously attacked by international speculation.The insufficient alignment of public and monetary policies proved to be at the heart of the financial problems of the 1993 crises. The Belgian government relaunched its policies of budgetary restriction and wage moderation, brought together in what was called the 'Global Plan'. This realignment of public policies to monetary policy swiftly restored the credibility of the Belgian franc, so that as early as January 1994 the Belgian franc converged to its central parity with an interest differential vis-à-vis the German mark of only about 2 %. This differential declined progressively. Indeed the global plan restored the confidence of the investors in Belgian economic policy. Financial markets now fully believed in the entry of Belgium into EMU and from then on no major difficulties were to arise. (shrink)

Scientists no longer accept the existence of a distinct moral organ as phrenologists once did. A generation of young neurologists is using advanced technological medical equipment to unravel specific brain processes enabling moral cognition. In addition, evolutionary psychologists have formulated hypotheses about the origins and nature of our moral architecture. Little by little, the concept of a ‘moral brain’ is reinstated. As the crossover between disciplines focusing on moral cognition was rather limited up to now, this book aims at filling (...) the gap. Which evolutionary biological hypotheses provide a useful framework for starting new neurological research? How can brain imaging be used to corroborate hypotheses concerning the evolutionary background of our species? In this reader, a broad range of prominent scientists and philosophers shed their expert view on the current accomplishments and future challenges in the field of moral cognition and assess how cooperation between neurology and evolutionary psychology can boost research into the field of the moral brain. (shrink)

Gent, januari 1867. Een beroemd architect die goed gelijkt op Jean-Baptiste Bethune krijgt het verzoek om een neogotische guillotine te ontwerpen. Rond die tijd beheerst de discussie over de afschaffing van de doodstraf het politieke debat in België. Datzelfde jaar treedt een nieuw strafwetboek in werking. Hoewel voorstander van de doodstraf weigert de architect op dit verzoek in te gaan. Hij reageert verontwaardigd want hij kan dit toestel, symbool van de gehate Franse Revolutie, niet rijmen met zijn ultramontaanse opvattingen. Toch (...) belooft hij dit verzoek te bespreken met zijn biechtvader, een prelaat afkomstig uit de Doornikse familie Desclée-Maredsous, met sympathie voor het gedachtegoed van de Franse theocraat Joseph de Maistre. Tegen de achtergrond van de strijd voor de Pauselijke Staten en het herstel van de christelijke Europese samenleving ontspinnen zich filosofische gesprekken over geloof, gezag en neogotiek. 'Ultramontaan' is een ideeëngeschiedenis die balanceert tussen non-fictie en fictie, zich in de traditie van filosofische dialogen plaatst maar vooral licht wil werpen op een donker hoofdstuk uit ons culturele erfgoed."--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

The thought determinations of Hegel's Logic are tentatively considered as three mutually intersecting systems giving rise to a set of general ordering relations. Each main category is given its place in a main sequence with triadic structure and is associated with two sequences of dependent partial determinations. In this way a number of clear distinctions can be introduced and some significant but hitherto largely neglected correspondences between categories and their partial determinations, in particular the so-called moments, be studied.

A referendum was held on October 1st, 1978 at Andenne, a municipality in the French-speaking part of Belgium, on the settlement of a nuclear plant. A referendum on the settlement of an ecologically noxiousindustry was held at Tessenderlo, a municipality in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, on March 25th, 1979. These referenda are unique in their kind in Belgium. They show a very large similarity bath in theirset-up and their results. The turn-out can be considered satisfying high, especially since compulsory (...) voting could not be imposed. The votes cast were mainly nays. (shrink)

In Section I, different characterizations of the theoretical status, systematic importance and possible applications of cybernetics in the human sciences are sketched, according to view points currently developing in Soviet and Eastern science. Significant differences from the Western scientific approaches are pointed out. The connection of this field with work on heuristics and systems theory is briefly dealt with. Section II gives a critical appraisal of the ideas of B. V. Birjukov on the humanization of logic. The question of the (...) possibility of a special logic of creativity according to this and similar methods in cybernetics is outlined, followed by a short critical analysis. Section III gives a short general introduction to some problems of the comparison of formal with dialectical logic, criticizes the work of J. Erpenbeck and H. Hörz on lawlike sentences and proposes a new scheme for dialectical hypothesis formation. A Critical comparison with some recent developments in Soviet philosophy forms the conclusion. (shrink)

Few of Origen s sermons on the Book of Samuel and the Book of Kings have been preserved. Yet they include some of his most famous teachings, including the impromptu homily on the witch of Endor, with its profound meditations on the descent of Christ and the Prophets into hell. Since this sermon has been handed down in Greek, it provides insight for the reader about the preacher Origen s original voice.".

Der Autor gibt einen umfassenden Überblick über die vielfältigen Formen philosophischer Nietzsche-Rezeption außerhalb des deutschsprachigen Raumes. Zu den behandelten Autoren gehören unter anderem Deleuze, Foucault, Derrida, Danto, de Man, Eagleton, Rorty, Colli, Montinari und Vattimo. Zudem arbeitet Reckermann systematisch die Voraussetzungen in den jeweiligen Ländern heraus, die es ermöglichten, Nietzsche für entscheidende Fragen der Gegenwartsphilosophie fruchtbar zu machen. Das Buch enthält eine ausführliche Bibliographie sowie Personen- und Sachregister.

It is necessary to consider medieval Western Neoplatonism as a current of thought inserted in a wide cultural atmosphere where liturgical, theological, aesthetic, and artistic patterns play an important role as elements of a common historical past. In this article the author argues to what extent Neoplatonic concepts (Epiphany, Negative Theology, Theology of Light and Metaphor of Light) derived from Johannes Scotus Eriugena, translator of the Corpus Areopagiticum into latin, relate to the Iconography of Crist-Light or Maiestas domini in a (...) mandorle of light. Writings of various thinkers, paintings from the 12th century and medieval epigraphy are taken as primary sources in order to understand the relationship between Neoplatonism and Iconography in the European Middle Ages. (shrink)

Betrifft die Handschrift Cod. 579 der Burgerbibliothek Bern.