scholarly journals Robots, Extinction, and Salvation: On Altruism in Human–Posthuman Interactions

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Juraj Odorčák ◽  
Pavlína Bakošová
Keyword(s):  
Human Species ◽  
Species Extinction ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Karel Capek ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Positive Outlook

Posthumanism and transhumanism are philosophies that envision possible relations between humans and posthumans. Critical versions of posthumanism and transhumanism examine the idea of potential threats involved in human–posthuman interactions (i.e., species extinction, species domination, AI takeover) and propose precautionary measures against these threats by elaborating protocols for the prosocial use of technology. Critics of these philosophies usually argue against the reality of the threats or dispute the feasibility of the proposed measures. We take this debate back to its modern roots. The play that gave the world the term “robot” (R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots) is nowadays remembered mostly as a particular instance of an absurd apocalyptic vision about the doom of the human species through technology. However, we demonstrate that Karel Čapek assumed that a negative interpretation of human–posthuman interactions emerges mainly from the human inability to think clearly about extinction, spirituality, and technology. We propose that the conflictual interpretation of human–posthuman interactions can be overcome by embracing Čapek’s religiously and philosophically-inspired theory of altruism remediated by technology. We argue that this reinterpretation of altruism may strengthen the case for a more positive outlook on human–posthuman interactions.

Awareness and perception of precautionary measures against Covid 19 exposure among dental practitioners- A questionnaire based study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 550-557
Author(s):  
Harini P ◽  
Abilasha R
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Dental Clinic ◽  
Attitude And Practice ◽  
Dental Practitioners ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The World ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Knowledge And Attitude

The most unexpected pandemic global outbreak is COVID 19 which is a newly discovered viral infection which originated in Wuhan, China and it caused the outbreak of pneumonia in the rest of the world. Dental practitioners are more susceptible to COVID 19 infection as their work is related to the aerosol formation during various procedures through which the virus spreads. The aim of the study is to create awareness about precautionary measures against COVID- 19 exposure among dental practitioners in Tamilnadu. A Survey based questionnaire was formulated with questions related to the various precautionary measures to be adopted by dental practitioners which would be effective to prevent Covid-19 exposure. A questionnaire with a total of 20 questions was circulated among dental practitioners and the responses were collected by google forms SPSS software statistical analysis was done. The overall awareness of dental practitioners against Covid-19 was above average. The dental practitioners were relatively well aware of the precautions to be adopted while treating the patients, but the implementation in practice is lacking due absence of hands-on experience in using various kinds of PPE. There is a gap between knowledge and attitude and practice among the participants of this survey. It is therefore essential to plan for organising training sessions and hands-on workshops for the use of PPE and public training of the general population regarding Covid-19 to improve the knowledge among the patients visiting the dental clinic as well.

Peningkatan Teknologi Informasi Melalui Supervisi Pendidikan

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rika ramadani ◽  
Hade Afriansyah
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Information Technology Education ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Ongoing Training ◽  
The World ◽  
Teacher Supervisors

Progress in information technology that is so fast is expected to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. In the world of information technology education can help and support the learning process. Especially now all the learning process activities can be done online. Progress in information technology must also be supported by quality human resources. In this case the teacher is very instrumental in the utilization of information technology in the world of education. Because the teacher is one of the education supervisors who will encourage the advancement of the quality of education in Indonesia. But in reality the quality of teachers in Indonesia is inadequate. There are still many teachers who cannot use information technology in learning especially for teachers who are senior or old. As teacher supervisors, they must improve the quality of their performance in using technology. To improve the ability of teachers to use technology, ongoing training is needed to use technology. The role of the head of the school as a supervisor is also needed, namely the principal is obliged to supervise, control, and approach the teacher in terms of the use of technology in the learning process.

The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement of the World Trade Organization: Debunking Its Reliance on Scientific Evidence and Reluctance to Endorse Potential Biotechnology Risks

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Muhammad ISLAM
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Scientific Uncertainty ◽  
The World ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Phytosanitary Measures ◽  
Biotech Products

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) relies on scientific evidence as a conclusive risk assessment criterion, which ignores the inherent limitations of science. This article highlights certain trade-restrictive effects of scientific evidence and comments on the Agreement’s aversions to precautionary measures and the consumer concern of the harmful effects of biotech products that may be necessary to protect public health and biosecurity in many WTO Member States. These measures and concerns have become pressing issues due to surging consumer awareness and vigilance concerning environmental protection and food safety. The Agreement is yet to overcome the weaknesses of its endorsed international standardising bodies, the problematic definition of scientific evidence and treatment of justification for scientific risk assessment methods and the implementation difficulties faced by most developing states. This article analyses these issues under the provisions of the Agreement and the interpretations of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body in disputes involving SPS matters, which fall short of addressing scientific uncertainty surrounding biotech products and their associated risks.

The center for research and education on accessible technology and experiences (CREATE)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mankoff ◽  
Jacob O. Wobbrock
Keyword(s):  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Interactive Systems ◽  
Technology Research ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
The World ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
The University ◽  
Paradigm Shifting ◽  
Improve Access

In an era of rapidly evolving technology and increasing interconnection, full participation in society depends on the successful use of technology. Thus, to ensure equity and participation for people with disabilities, technology must be accessible - we must create and adapt interactive systems to improve access to technology and to the world at large. The University of Washington Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) is dedicated to propelling accessible technology research and education from incremental improvements to paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that enable greater inclusion and participation for people of all abilities.

scholarly journals Analysis of Educational Data in the Current State of University Learning for the Transition to a Hybrid Education Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2068
Author(s):  
William Villegas-Ch. ◽  
Xavier Palacios-Pacheco ◽  
Milton Roman-Cañizares ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
Hybrid Education ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current State ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Education Model

Currently, the 2019 Coronavirus Disease pandemic has caused serious damage to health throughout the world. Its contagious capacity has forced the governments of the world to decree isolation and quarantine to try to control the pandemic. The consequences that it leaves in all sectors of society have been disastrous. However, technological advances have allowed people to continue their different activities to some extent while maintaining isolation. Universities have great penetration in the use of technology, but they have also been severely affected. To give continuity to education, universities have been forced to move to an educational model based on synchronous encounters, but they have maintained the methodology of a face-to-face educational model, what has caused several problems in the learning of students. This work proposes the transition to a hybrid educational model, provided that this transition is supported by data analysis to identify the new needs of students. The knowledge obtained is contrasted with the performance presented by the students in the face-to-face modality and the necessary parameters for the transition to this modality are clearly established. In addition, the guidelines and methodology of online education are considered in order to take advantage of the best of both modalities and guarantee learning.

Misunderstanding and Misuse of Darwinism

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-345
Author(s):  
Hubert Markl
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Wilhelm Von Humboldt ◽  
Gregory Bateson ◽  
Neural Imaging ◽  
The World ◽  
True Meaning ◽  
The Many

The reason why I wavered a bit with this topic is that, after all, it has to do with Darwin, after a great Darwin year, as seen by a German scientist. Not that Darwin was very adept in German: Gregor Mendel’s ‘Versuche über Pflanzenhybriden’ (Experiments on Plant Hybrids) was said to have stayed uncut and probably unread on his shelf, which is why he never got it right with heredity in his life – only Gregory Bateson, Ronald A. Fisher, and JBS Haldane, together with Sewall Wright merged evolution with genetics. But Darwin taught us, nevertheless, in essence why the single human species shows such tremendous ethnic diversity, which impresses us above all through a diversity of languages – up to 7000 altogether – and among them, as a consequence, also German, my mother tongue, and English. It would thus have been a truly Darwinian message, if I had written this article in German. I would have called that the discommunication function of the many different languages in humans, which would have been a most significant message of cultural evolution, indeed. I finally decided to overcome the desire to demonstrate so bluntly what cultural evolution is all about, or rather to show that nowadays, with global cultural progress, ‘the world is flat’ indeed – even linguistically. The real sign of its ‘flatness’ is that English is used everywhere, even if Thomas L. Friedman may not have noticed this sign. But I will also come back to that later, when I hope to show how Darwinian principles connect both natural and cultural evolution, and how they first have been widely misunderstood as to their true meaning, and then have been terribly misused – although more so by culturalists, or some self-proclaimed ‘humanists’, rather than by biologists – or at least most of them. Let me, however, quickly add a remark on human languages. That languages even influence our brains and our thinking, that is: how we see the world, has first been remarked upon by Wilhelm von Humboldt and later, more extensively so, by Benjamin Whorf. It has recently been shown by neural imaging – for instance by Angela Friederici – that one’s native language, first as learned from one’s mother and from those around us when we are babies, later from one’s community of speakers, can deeply impinge on a baby’s brain development and stay imprinted in it throughout life, even if language is, of course, learned and not fully genetically preformed. This shows once more how deep the biological roots are that ground our cultures, according to truly Darwinian principles, even if these cultures are completely learned.

What is an Ecodisaster?

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Cloudsley-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Developed Countries ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
World Population ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
The Past ◽  
Environmental Deterioration ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Catastrophe ◽  
Near Future

The term ‘ecodisaster’ may be defined as ‘a global catastrophe of the human species’. Any ecodisasters occurring in the near future will, almost certainly, be caused, directly or indirectly, by the present overpopulation of the world, accompanied by unwise and irresponsible disregard of environmental deterioration.The suggestion is made here that Man's first and, it is to be hoped, last, ecodisaster may already have begun. Although not dramatic, it is taking the form of a steady decline in the standard of living nearly everywhere, coupled with massive pollution, and widespread malnutrition in the under-developed countries of the world. It will persist until world population eventually becomes adjusted to environmental resources.It is ironical that control of the pests and diseases which have inflicted so much misery on mankind in the past, should have helped to engender the present population explosion with all the hunger and privation that accompany it in the under-developed regions of the world.

Appreciating Rapid Technology Integration in Creating Value in Enterprises

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mambo G. Mupepi ◽  
Sylvia C. Mupepi
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Skilled Personnel ◽  
Increase Productivity

The primary objective of this paper is about innovation within specific social organization which compacts with the division of labor, knowledge creation, and the use of technology such as e-enterprise in social economy aimed at improving productivity. A significant proportion of the world's economy is organized to make profits not only for investors but to sustain the employment of many disadvantaged people throughout the world. It includes cooperative organizations, foundations and many other social enterprises that provide a wide range of products and services across the globe and generate sustainable employment. Productivity tends to increase when the job is divided into manageable portions and then performed by adequately skilled personnel. In order to succeed in an environment in which other businesses fiercely compete along with social enterprises it is imperative to take into account innovative systems such as e-enterprise to leverage competition and increase productivity.

scholarly journals Intricate Coalescence of Nature and Philosophy in Coelho’s world: Ruminations from The Alchemist

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-79
Author(s):  
L. Monica Lilly
Keyword(s):  
Common Language ◽  
Human Species ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common ◽  
Human Psyche ◽  
Egyptian Desert ◽  
The Universe

 In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho projects Santiago communicating with Nature which he refers to as the common language of the world. A study of The Alchemist will reveal how Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a bounty treasure explores the wisdom of life. His quest for the treasure buried near the Pyramids propels him to enter an unchartered territory from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert. This paper aims to explore the ecological reflections mired with concepts of slants in philosophy. Ecology on one hand is considered as a branch of science but, despite providing erudition on the subject it is understood that it provides sagacity to understand the universe better. This paper rightly discusses the amalgamation of nature and literature. It is indeed a manifestation of the recurrently believed ideologies that connect human psyche and platitudes of the cosmos. The logos that interrelates the existing connection between the non human and the human species require an exceptional mastery. This paper will analyze and depict the emotions connected with nature from the spectacle of the Protagonist Santiago in The Alchemist.

scholarly journals Who will Bear the Brunt of Lockdown Policies? Evidence from Tele-workability Measures Across Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (88) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya Brussevich ◽  
Era Dabla-Norris ◽  
Salma Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
College Education ◽  
Emerging Countries ◽  
Market Selection ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Earnings Distribution ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World

Lockdowns imposed around the world to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic are having a differential impact on economic activity and jobs. This paper presents a new index of the feasibility to work from home to investigate what types of jobs are most at risk. We estimate that over 97.3 million workers, equivalent to about 15 percent of the workforce, are at high risk of layoffs and furlough across the 35 advanced and emerging countries in our sample. Workers least likely to work remotely tend to be young, without a college education, working for non-standard contracts, employed in smaller firms, and those at the bottom of the earnings distribution, suggesting that the pandemic could exacerbate inequality. Crosscountry heterogeneity in the ability to work remotely reflects differential access to and use of technology, sectoral mix, and labor market selection. Policies should account for demographic and distributional considerations both during the crisis and in its aftermath.

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