scholarly journals What is It Like To Be a Bat in the Time of Covid-19, or How Many Pandemics Could We Have?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Đurđević ◽  
Suzana Marjanić

In these paired years (2020–2021), the whole world has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the emergence of different presumptions, alternative facts, and fake news. Among those, the most dominant news was about bats as the culprits of expansion of the virus and, indirectly, the Chinese diet as the root cause. However, there is no proof that the links in the triangle of bat-virus-human are valid; and the source of infection has not been identified. In addition to bats, these viruses can be found in other animals, such as camels, pangolins, and humans. Therefore, individual scientists are reversing the situation by presenting the possibility of transmitting the virus from humans to animals. Nevertheless, it has become ultimately ‘acceptable’ to demonise the bat. In this respect, various authors remind us of certain historical contexts of notions and perceptions of the bats, as well as the similarities and differences of those perceptions during the pandemic, referring to it mainly in the context of Croatia and the world. In the end, the article’s conclusion is that the story about the bats is, actually, a great indicator of the representations of Otherness and the strengthening of a binary and hierarchical division of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

As current events around the world have illustrated, epistemological issues are at the center of our political lives. It has become increasingly difficult to discern legitimate sources of evidence, misinformation spreads faster than ever, and the role of truth in politics has allegedly decayed in recent years. It is therefore no coincidence that political discourse is currently saturated with epistemic notions like “post-truth,” “fake news,” “truth decay,” “echo chambers,” and “alternative facts.” This book brings together leading political philosophers and epistemologists to explore ways in which the analytic and conceptual tools of epistemology bear on political philosophy, and vice versa. It is organized around three broad themes: truth and knowledge in politics; epistemic problems for democracy; and disagreement and polarization. This book investigates topics such as: the extent and implications of political ignorance, the value of democratic deliberation, the significance of epistemic considerations for political legitimacy, the epistemology of political disagreement, identity politics, political bullshit, and weaponized skepticism. A premise underlying the development of political epistemology is that, beyond a certain point, progress on certain foundational issues in both political philosophy and epistemology cannot be achieved without sharing insights across fields. By bringing political philosophers into conversation with epistemologists, this volume promotes more cross-pollination of ideas while also highlighting the richness and diversity of political epistemology as a newly emerging field.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Colin Lang

Recently, the effort to counter Fake News faced a counter attack: academic »postmodernism « and »social constructivism« it was said—because they say that facts are soaked in prior interpretations—are either purveyors of Fake News or set the cultural context in which it flourishes. They do so by undermining confidence in inquiry governed by simple facts. That is erroneous, argues William E. Connolly, because postmodernism never said that facts or objectivity are ghostly, subjective or »fake«. However, that what was objective at one time may become less so at a later date through the combination of a paradigm shift in theory, new powers of perception, new tests with refined instruments, and changes in natural processes such as species evolution. But the emergence of new theories and tests does not reduce objectivity to subjective opinion. Facts are real. Objectivity is important. But as you move up the scale of complexity with respect to facts and objectivity, it becomes clear that what was objective at one time may become subjective at another. Not because of Fake News or postmodernism. But because the complex relationships between theory, evidence and conduct periodically open up new thresholds. Colin Lang in turn rhetorically asks if »fake news« or »alternative facts« are a new carnival and Trump its dog and pony show? The idea of »fake news« and »alternative facts« as a carnival could not only help to see the constructedness of the media spectacle, but also provides a new perspective on Trump as an actor who is playing a particular role in this carnival, and that role is not one that any of us would describe as presidential. Many in the popular press have assumed it is just what it looks like, an infantilized narcissist, a parody of some Regan-era New York real estate tycoon straight out of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. The problem is that this description is all too obvious, and misses something fundamental about alternative facts, and the part that Trump is playing. A central assumption is, then, that the creation of alternative facts is one symptom of a more structural, paradigmatic shift in the persona of a president, one which has few correlates in the annals of political history. The closest analogy for his kind of performance is actually hinted at in the title of Trump’s greatest literary achievement: The Art of the Deal. Trump is playing the part of an artist, pilfering from the tactics of the avant-garde and putting them to very different ends.


Author(s):  
ALEXANDRA A. TROITSKAYA

The two main approaches to the use of the comparative method in legal research, functional and cultural, have some "predetermined" considerations regarding the results that will (or should) be discovered by comparing various legal phenomena — should the emphasis be on similarities or differences between these phenomena. These considerations are based on the vision of, respectively, the universal or pluralistic nature of law of various societies, and in fact they are able to correct substantially the process of cognition of legal phenomena using the comparative method, adjusting it to the desired result. In the case of similarities, we can talk about artificially narrowing the circle of countries under investigation. In the case of differences, the isolation of systems and the uniqueness of their cultural characteristics are unreasonably exaggerated. The alternative assumptions presented in the theory of comparative law regarding the existence of universal principles of law or the fundamental uniqueness of each legal system require a critical rethinking of constitutional provisions and practice in comparative studies. The use of the comparative method in constitutional law is not reducible to the implementation of the ideas of political philosophy, and objective conclusions should not be replaced by predetermined normative guidelines. The similarities and differences revealed by the researcher of constitutional ideas, norms and practices can be considered as a result of comparison of independent value.Constitutional law is associated with a variety of substantial constructs existing in the world, not excluding, however, their intercommunication. Understanding these constructions requires attention to both the similarities and the differences in specific legal orders (as well as the reasons for their functioning in this, and not another form). The use of the comparative method in the absence of striving for predetermined results is simultaneously aimed at understanding the laws of development of constitutional institutions and maintaining the horizon of their diversity as an important component of this development. Each time, the researcher should distance himself from his prejudices regarding the similarities or differences between the institutes under study, rechecking whether the obtained results are really the results of applying the comparative method, and not the initial constructions.The logic of a comparative study corresponds to the construction of theories of "middle level", aimed at forming the theoretical model of a particular legal in-stitution, taking into account the practice of implementing this institution in specific states. The focus on middle-level theories within the framework of the comparative method allows one to go beyond the description of single systems, formulate conclusions at the level of generalization that ensure the comparability of the studied objects, and at the same time maintain an understanding of the diversity of constitutional models.


1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (41) ◽  
pp. 66-71
Author(s):  
Caleen Sinnette Jennings

In this, the third paper originally presented at the ATHE conference in Atlanta in 1992, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Assistant Professor of Theatre in the American University, Washington, DC, discusses the problems and rewards of introducing American theatre, film, and television studies to a class of sixty students from a wide variety of nations and social backgrounds. Outlining the ideas and intentions behind a wide-ranging syllabus, she quotes from group presentations and individual responses to illustrate how works deeply rooted in American culture and assumptions can stimulate the recognition and discussion of social and cultural similarities and differences among responsive students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2423-2427
Author(s):  
Sangeeta Gupta ◽  
Anupama Patra ◽  
Sarita Yadav ◽  
Akanksha Thakur

The entire world faced the corona crisis recently, still undergoing it. The world merely is seeing through it as a pandemic and is connecting it to a kind of viral infection invading the human community. The whole of the health machinery got paralyzed fighting the pandemic leading to millions of deaths around the globe. Moreover, the ad- vanced modern system of medicine was almost helpless in combating the virus-related hazards to human health. At this time, the considerable contribution was provided by the Ayurveda, our ancient traditional system of medi- cine. If we see the ayurvedic literature, the concept of Janpadodhwamsa provides answers to the mystery behind the fatal covid virus. The paper aims to provide a view about the Janpadodhwamsa which states various factors relating to the pandemic, the root cause of such events and the remedial measures for it. Keywords: Vayu, Jala, Desh, Kala, Janpadodhwamsa, Nidana Parivarjana, Prajnapradha


Tábula ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 25-53
Author(s):  
James Lowry

Este artículo sostiene que el concepto de “umbral archivístico” del ius archivi en el que la recepción de documentos por un archivo sirve para autenticar esos documentos, se invierte en la era de los datos gubernamentales abiertos y de las tecnologías cívicas. Estas tecnologías crean una expectativa de transparencia que invierte la función del umbral. Sólo a través de la transmisión de datos desde los archivos al espacio público se puede determinar la autenticidad. En una época de “noticias falsas” y de los llamados “hechos alternativos”, esta dinámica es problemática y plantea interrogantes sobre la participación en los sistemas de información estatales. This paper argues that the ius archivi concept of the “archival threshold”, in which receipt of records by an authoritative archive serves to authenticate those records, is inverted in the era of open government data and civic technologies. These technologies of witnessing create an expectation of transparency that reverses the function of the threshold; it is only through the transmission of data out of archives and into public space that authenticity can be judged. In a time of ‘fake news’ and so called ‘alternative facts’, this dynamic is problematic and raises questions about participation in state information systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Majed Al-Shaibani

The current study aims to tackle the theoretical understanding of intention as between Sharia and law. It addresses the similarities and differences in the analysis of interpretation of intention across sharia law and law. The paper contrasts between the two ways of dealing with the concept of intention that is both technical and intuitive, across law and religion. Starting from the hypothesis that the concept of intention in sharia law originated in classical contextual realities different from the contemporary realities of Saudi Arabia and become outdated, the study attempts to answer the following questions: How can the concept of intention be adapted to the new socio-economic realities of Saudi Arabia with its new vision toward the world? How can the concept of intentionality adopt by sharia benefits from the analysis of law theory relating to intention? In order to answer the questions of the study, the study adopts the comparative law methodology through which concept of intention is comparatively examined in both sharia and law. The research investigates the historical and cultural context that gives rise to the concept of intentionality in both sharia law and law, as it helps reflect on aspects of similarity and differences and how gap between the sharia law and law can be bridged. The collected data is obtained through comparing sharia law in Saudi Arabia to the law applied in the West. The study has reached a conclusion that the sound methodological application of the concept of intention in sharia law requires the integration of elements and concepts from the Western law concept of intention.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Caroline Rios Costa

As trajetórias femininas na vida pública vêm ganhando cada vez mais espaço, com mulheres do mundo tomando as ruas como forma de luta e resistência. Na Argentina, dois exemplos emblemáticos servem como espelho para outros movimentos: as Madres de Plaza de Mayo e as feministas do Ni Una Menos. Criados em diferentes contextos sociais, faixas etárias e motivações políticas, estes grupos se tornaram estandartes da luta política e reivindicação a nível federal, e até mesmo global. Similaridades e diferenças entre os dois grupos devem ser observadas para entender de forma adequada suas constituições enquanto agentes sociais e políticos. Além disso, pretendemos perceber como essas mulheres, jovens e senhoras, transformaram a questão do feminino e do gênero em sinônimo de uma luta frente a uma sociedade patriarcal em todo o mundo.Palavras-chave: Gênero, Resistência, Ni Una Menos, Madres de Plaza de Mayo AbstractWomen's trajectories in public life have been gaining more and more space, with women of the world taking over the streets as a form of struggle and resistance. In Argentina, two emblematic examples serve as a mirror to other movements: the Madres de Plaza de Mayo and the feminists of Ni Una Menos. Built on different social contexts, age groups, and political grounds, have become banners of political struggle and claim at federal, and even global, level. Similarities and differences must be observed to properly understand their constitutions as social and political agents. In addition, we intend to understand how these women, young and old, have transformed the issue of the feminine and gender into a struggle that clashes with a worldwide patriarchal society.Keywords: Gender, Resistance, Ni Una Menos, Madres de Plaza de Mayo


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-115
Author(s):  
Rudresh Pandey ◽  
Ajay Massand ◽  
Suhasini BV ◽  
Lavi Sharma ◽  
Akansha Rai ◽  
...  

Chocolates and snacks are a humongous market all around the world. Mondelez International, the producer of Cadbury is a major player in this industry which perceives the Malaysian and Indian market differently. This study aims to examine the consumer perception on the usage of Cadbury products in Malaysia and India. The study would examine the association, usage, buying behavior and customer satisfaction in the two countries and identify similarities and differences among them. This study involves both primary and secondary data collected through various sources such as consumers from the two countries and publications. These findings provide a comparative insight about consumer perceptions about the products which help in understanding the two markets and marketing activities in detail.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2021/1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisztina Teleki

The 20th century brought different periods in the history of Mongolia including theocracy, socialism and democracy. This article describes what renouncing the world (especially the home and the family), taking ordination, and taking monastic vows meant at the turn of the 20th century and a century later. Extracts from interviews reveal the life of pre-novices, illustrating their family backgrounds, connections with family members after ordination, and support from and towards the family. The master-disciple relationship which was of great significance in Vajrayāna tradition, is also described. As few written sources are available to study monks’ family ties, the research was based on interviews recorded with old monks who lived in monasteries in their childhood (prior to 1937), monks who were ordained in 1990, and pre-novices of the current Tantric monastic school of Gandantegčenlin Monastery. The interviews revealed similarities and differences in monastic life in given periods due to historical reasons. Though Buddhism could not attain its previous, absolutely dominant role in Mongolia after the democratic changes, nowadays tradition and innovation exist in parallel.


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