This study discusses the numerous challenges that Chinese Muslims experience as a minority in Indonesia, as well as the role of Chinese Muslim groups in providing them with religious direction. This study employs a phenomenological approach that relies on in-depth interviews with 14 informants who were chosen purposively. According to the study, the obstacles faced are domestic constraints, where they are alienated by their extended family, and social constraints, particularly for those from disadvantaged groups. As a result of this situation, (...) they became acquainted with several Chinese Muslim organisations. Although this phenomena demonstrates a constructive cooperation among Chinese Muslims, it also implies that assimilation efforts with local Muslims are not properly manifested.Contribution: Although the decision to convert to Islam has resulted in exclusion from their extended family, they are still able to maintain their new faith by relying on Islamic organisations run by fellow Chinese Muslims. At the same time, this phenomenon illustrates that their assimilation efforts with local Muslims have not been properly realised. (shrink)

In locating friendly fire in contemporary philosophy of religion, D.Z. Phillips shows that more harm can be done to religion by its philosophical defenders than by its philosophical despisers. Friendly fire is the result of an uncritical acceptance of empiricism, and Phillips argues that we need to examine critically the claims that individual consciousness is the necessary starting point from which we have to argue: for the existence of an external world and the reality of God; that God is a (...) person without a body, a pure consciousness; and that to assent to a religious belief is essentially to assign a truth value to a proposition independent of any confessional context. When these products of friendly fire are avoided, we arrive at a new understanding of belief, trust and the soul, and refuse to say more or less than we know about the realities of human life in the service of religious apologetics. (shrink)

Cemil Şahinöz liefert eine wissenschaftliche und theologische Grundlage für den Begriff der islamischen Seelsorge und entwickelt darüber hinaus ein Konzept über die Arbeit der Seelsorge für die Gruppe der Muslime in Deutschland. Der Autor analysiert mehrere Seelsorgedisziplinen, macht eine breite Bestandsaufnahme, interviewt Seelsorger und Ausbilder islamischer Seelsorger und untersucht islamische Seelsorgekonzepte in anderen Ländern. Die islamische Theologie und die historische Entwicklung der Seelsorge innerhalb der muslimischen Gemeinschaften standen für die Erarbeitung seines Konzepts im Fokus.

Can an empirisist theory of memory be identifi ed in Plato’s dialogues? Research in the dialogues and reconstructing the pertinent references convinced me that- along with the multi-discussed and generally accepted concept of memory within Plato’s metaphysical framework of the theory of knowledge- an empirisist version of memory is utilized by the Athenian philosopher in his argumentations, concerning mainly epistemological issues and problems; in fact, given the republished metaphysical concept of memory, one cannot fi nd, beyond the orthodox, old interpretation (...) related to metempsychosis, ies attributing to Plato such, perhaps heretic, parallel use of sensorymaterial and empiricist structures. Moreover, I contend that the empiricist version of memory is related, or, can be considered, as a precursor, to a great extent, to the so called empirical theory of memory; the theory where memory is a necessary and decsively functioning constituent to the new and modern theory of knowledge. (shrink)

Whether in meta-analysis or single experiments, selecting results based on statistical significance leads to overestimated effect sizes, impeding falsification. We critique a quantitative synthesis that used significance to score and select previously published effects for situation awareness-performance associations. How much does selection using statistical significance quantitatively impact results in a meta-analytic context? We evaluate and compare results using significance-filtered effects versus analyses with all effects as-reported. Endsley reported high predictiveness scores and large positive mean correlations but used atypical methods: the (...) hypothesis was used to select papers and effects. Papers were assigned the maximum predictiveness scores if they contained at-least-one significant effect, yet most papers reported multiple effects, and the number of non-significant effects did not impact the score. Thus, the predictiveness score was rarely less than the maximum. In addition, only significant effects were included in Endsley’s quantitative synthesis. Filtering excluded half of all reported effects, with guaranteed minimum effect sizes based on sample size. Results for filtered compared to as-reported effects clearly diverged. Compared to the mean of as-reported effects, the filtered mean was overestimated by 56%. Furthermore, 92% of the as-reported effects were below the mean of filtered effects. We conclude that outcome-dependent selection of effects is circular, predetermining results and running contrary to the purpose of meta-analysis. Instead of using significance to score and filter effects, meta-analyses should follow established research practices. (shrink)

Uncertainties about how to achieve sustainable and reliable biobased value chains can be remedied by inclusion of local biomass producers. Such inclusion implies that the knowledge, values, interests and skills of these local producers are integrated into the set-up, design, development and associated distribution of risk and benefits of the specific value chain. To make sure that this inclusion is both fair and effective, capabilities of relevant actors need to be taken into account, i.e. the capabilities of biomass producers and (...) of companies and local governments. Building on these capabilities can lead to context sensitive design of biorefineries that allow for true inclusion of local stakeholders. We support this claim with reference to the case of sugarcane production in Jamaica. (shrink)

A main strength of neuroimaging and neuroscience is its reductionist focus on the brain. A limitation is that it runs the possibility of ignoring larger social factors. The brain image may not necessarily indicate the brain’s neuroplastic ‘rewiring’ over time from genomic, epigenetic, environmental and social conditions. These factors are all necessary to understand the diverse nature of our brains, especially complex concerns such as addiction. For addiction to emerge it requires an intersection of genetic, environmental and social influences. It (...) is foreseeable to ignore this multi-factorial interaction in the clinical setting when interpreting predictive brain imaging scans. This paper argues that relying too heavily on clinical neuroimaging in the treatment of patients who present a vulnerability to addiction can lead to cases of biological reductionism ignoring the influence social systems have on brain responses. (shrink)

After critiquing chaos, catastrophe, and complexity theories, showing their limitations in the contemporary era, Rich furthers the development of crisis theory ...

À l’occasion du creusement du tunnel RW2 sur le trajet Trapeza-Diakopto de la nouvelle ligne ferroviaire Corinthe-Patras, dans la région de Trapeza Aigialeias, ont été mis au jour des vestiges de bâtiments datant de l’époque archaïque à l’époque hellénistique, qui font partie d’un habitat dépendant de Voura, importante cité située à l’Est d’Aigialeia. Au nombre des trouvailles archéologiques, on compte beaucoup de monnaies de bronze provenant des cités voisines de Sicyone, Corinthe et Athènes, qui constituent l’horizon politique et économique naturel (...) de la cité, ainsi que des pièces émises par d’autres États, notamment les Locriens d’Oponte, le koinon des Épirotes et l’Eubée. En présentant les monnaies trouvées à Trapeza, majoritairement des petites dénominations en bronze, nous entendons souligner leur apport pour une étude de la vie économique de la région et démontrer par ailleurs que les cités, en frappant monnaie, stimulaient de manière significative leur économie. (shrink)

On democracy in Islam with critical analysis of modern political theories in the light Quran.

Interfaith prejudice continues to be an understudied challenge in the United States. In three studies, the present research focused on prejudice between atheists and Christians and assessed the role that social identity complexity (SIC), the degree of overlap that an individual perceives between their various social identities, plays in these biases, as well as tested a novel intervention method using SIC to reduce bias. Study 1 assessed the relationship between SIC and prejudice for atheists and Christians and found that higher (...) SIC in Christians was associated with lower levels of prejudice, but SIC was unrelated to prejudice for atheists. Study 2 tested the utility of an SIC intervention for reducing prejudice in Christians and showed a small increase in SIC but no reduction in prejudice towards atheists. A mini meta-analysis in Study 3 assessed the relationship between SIC and prejudice across all three studies and fully replicated Study 1. This line of work was an important first step in uncovering the relationship between SIC and interfaith intolerance for atheists and Christians in the United States. The findings suggest that SIC interventions may have potential for reducing prejudice in Christians, but future researchers will need to use methods that can be tested longitudinally for greater impact. (shrink)