scholarly journals HUMAN EVOLUTION AND TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION: A HISTORY OF INSTRUMENTALIZATION, DEVALUATION AND BETRAYAL

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ankia Gha

The principle of evolution applies to every creature in the world and permits us to understand the various stages through which progress is achieved. The emancipation of the human race portrays an evolutionary process through which the human intellect is uplifted above and beyond the realms of ignorance and naivety. It is a project of enlightenment, and just like any other project, the results we obtain are directly derived from the actions that precede them. In fact, we only achieve the objects of our desires. Our quest for a proper understanding of the human race goes through the various domains that characterize our educational systems around the world. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics etc., all permit us to perceive the human intellect from different perspectives. But it would appear that technological evolution, which has also played a key role in the emergence of the human society, has not been properly appraised; at least, this is the accusation put forward against human culture by French Philosopher, Gilbert Simondon. (Simondon: 1958). He thinks that technic has suffered prejudicial judgment from human culture, which has condemned it even before understanding its true mode of existence.[1] From his view point, the conflict that has emerged between man and the machine, or better still, between culture and technic is caused by a misunderstanding of the technical being. The goal of this paper is to find a point of agreement between man and the machines that characterize his daily life, in view of a better world.

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-66
Author(s):  
Ye Tuyte ◽  

Writing is very important for human society. This is the highest indicator of cultural development. Writing provides linguistic communication between people. For many centuries man has been using writing to communicate with each other. It helps to connect people who are from each other both at close and at a great distance. The article examines the problem of the origin of writing in the history of mankind, the history of the formation and development of the known types of writing, as well as its social role (functions). The article reveals the issues of the process of improving writing: its meaning in the development of society, the main stages of its formation. The letter has a long and complex history of its development, which covers a period of several thousand years. Therefore, the article determines the place of pictographic, ideographic, syllabic and letter psychology in meeting social needs. of its time. The writing of the peoples of the world has developed along different paths, the writing of each language of the world has its own characteristics that distinguish it from all other types of written speech. The article covers in detail such issues as the approximate time of the origin of writing, the causes and foundations of its occurrence, i.e. the factors that influenced its emergence, as well as the first users of writing, the form of the first writing, its evolutionary development over time, existing today types and signs of writing. The issues of the alphabet that caused the origin of writing (writing), the first sounds and types of Phoenician writing, its improvement, Greek and Aramaic writing, which caused the origin of the alphabet of the countries of the West and the East, problems of the science of descriptiveness — the problem of graphics, spelling, transcription and transliteration are considered.


2020 ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
Vadym Skurativskyi

The genesis of cinema (in 1890) is immediately accompanied by the almost global resonance around the "moving picture", a rather unusual communicative phenomenon. Unfortunately, all the root causes of the resonance have not yet been sufficiently studied. Today, however, given the achievements of a whole range of humanities and (not only) scientific disciplines, it becomes obvious that the "moving picture" invented by engineers Edison and the Lumière brothers arises, above all, as an upgrade to completely new aesthetic, technological and other settings of human culture of the ancient phenomenon of socalled "original syncretism". It is as if the breakdawn of the artistic and generally semiotic-communicative culture of the humanity. That syncretism combines all the receptive means of a man to create a holistic space-and-time picture of the world. The "moving picture", which characteristically arose almost synchronously with the advent of the efforts of the science of the time (the school of Academician Alexander Veselovsky and others) around the phenomenon of original syncretism with a surprising sequence restores decisively the whole semiotic sum of it — but clearly, on a completely new so-called technological basis. Accordingly, this circumstance immediately casts a new cognitive light on the whole history of the "moving picture" — from its debut to our present.


Author(s):  
Nidhal Guessoum

The various positions that Muslim scholars have adopted vis-à-vis Darwin’s theory of evolution since its inception in 1859 are here reviewed with an eye on the theological arguments that are embraced, whether explicitly or implicitly. A large spectrum of views and arguments are thus found, ranging from total rejection to total acceptance, including “human exceptionalism” (evolution is applicable to all organisms and animals but not to humans). The two main theological arguments that are thus extracted from Muslim scholars’ discussions of evolution are: 1) Is God excluded by the evolutionary paradigm or does the term “Creator” acquire a new definition? 2) Does Adam still exist in the human evolution scenario, and how to include his Qur’anic story in the scientific scenario? Additional, but less crucial issues are sometimes raised in Islamic discussions of evolution: a) Does the extinction of innumerable species during the history of life on earth conflict with the traditional view of God’s creation? b) Is theodicy (“the problem of evil”) exacerbated or explained by evolution? c) Are “species” well-defined and important biological entities in the Islamic worldview? d) Can the randomness that seems inherent in the evolutionary process be reconciled with a divine creation plan? These questions are here reviewed through the writings and arguments of Muslim scholars, and general conclusions are drawn about why rejectionists find it impossible to address those issues in a manner that is consistent with their religious principles and methods, and why more progressive, less literalistic scholars are able to fold those issues within a less rigid conception of God and the world.


2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
François de Blois

Since the time when the human race first began to speculate about the origin of the universe there have been two cosmological models that have seemed particularly attractive to its imagination. One has been to derive everything in the world from a single primal origin, out of which the cosmos, in all its apparent complexity, evolves. The other has been to view the history of the universe as a battle between two opposing forces which contradict and undermine each other. The two views can be called monism and dualism. They are not the only possibilities. There have been systems that posit three, four or an indefinite number of principles, but most of these have also tended to assume one basic pair of opposites with one or more neutral or intermediate principles beside them; this too can be seen as a form of dualism.


2009 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Iryna Horokholinska

The focus of philosophical research attention on the theoretical and, where appropriate, specifically applied problems of religion is a phenomenon immanent and unpersuasive. Its relevance is explained by the fact that the reflexiveness of philosophical thinking always determines the search for the answer to the basic worldview questions and aims at grasping the standards of wisdom. The history of human civilization is confirmed by the fact that one of the major worldview issues that bothers man is the question of life and death, the meaning of human existence and the purpose of the world and, most often, in finding an answer to it, humanity turned to a religion that is vividly illustrated by the existence of the great the number of different doctrines and beliefs. It is no secret that a large number of people see in religion and the basis of wisdom, the ideological and axiological potential of its nurturing. Of course, this does not mean that within the human culture there is no attempt to find wisdom outside of religion and even against it. But in any case, it cannot be denied that the search for wisdom on the basis of religious outlook is historically natural, and even dominates spiritual culture in certain eras.


2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-102
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Baczewski

This paper deals with the connection between the origin of the human race and the evolving universe in the works of Teilhard de Chardin, the French thinker analysed this problem from different points of view: scientific, philosophical and theological, showing its different aspects.The results of his reflections on this topic form a system of thought in which Teilhard tried to explain the mystery of man and the universe, the main concept of this system is the evolution of the whole universe from a material into a spiritual reality. Part of this cosmic evolutionary process is also the origin of the human race (considered by Teilhard as a species of living creatures and only accidentally as individual human beings). Creation of the world and man according to Teilhard is also a continual process in which God uses the natural law of evolution. Man is the best part and the summit of this cosmic process, the human race has been craeted by God as one philum (monophiletism) and not as a couple (Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden) or many phila (poliphiletism). While creating human souls, God also uses the material elements of the world, sublimating them into spirit, these opinions created many problems for the Catholic Church and were not accepted. Teilhardian analyses of the future of the universe and mankind are very interesting and inspiring and have been used by many modern thinkers. Teilhard wrote about one global society united by science and technology (globalisation). In the future people will also form one sphere of human spirit, the sphere of common information (noosphere). Eschatologically, the whole universe along with the human race will be united with God as the mover and final cause of the cosmic evolution (its point Alpha and Omega).The end of the history of all created reality will be the transformation into spiritual reality of the Cosmic Christ, thus anthropogenesis will be fulfilled in cosmogenesis and finally in Christogenesis.


Author(s):  
Joseph E. Kasten

The development of vaccines has been one of the most important medical and pharmacological breakthroughs in the history of the world. Besides saving untold lives, they have enabled the human race to live and thrive in conditions thought far too dangerous only a few centuries ago. In recent times, the development of the COVID-19 vaccine has captured the world’s attention as the primary tool to defeat the current pandemic. The tools used to develop these vaccines have changed dramatically over time, with the use of big data technologies becoming standard in many instances. This study performs a structured literature review centered on the development, distribution, and evaluation of vaccines and the role played by big data tools such as data analytics, datamining, and machine learning. Through this review, the paper identifies where these technologies have made important contributions and in what areas further research is likely to be useful.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 7156
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Dixon ◽  
Isak S. Pretorius

Some years inspire more hindsight reflection and future-gazing than others. This is even more so in 2020 with its evocation of perfect vision and the landmark ring to it. However, no futurist can reliably predict what the world will look like the next time that a year’s first two digits will match the second two digits—a numerical pattern that only occurs once in a century. As we leap into a new decade, amid uncertainties triggered by unforeseen global events—such as the outbreak of a worldwide pandemic, the accompanying economic hardship, and intensifying geopolitical tensions—it is important to note the blistering pace of 21st century technological developments indicate that while hindsight might be 20/20, foresight is 50/50. The history of science shows us that imaginative ideas, research excellence, and collaborative innovation can, for example, significantly contribute to the economic, cultural, social, and environmental recovery of a post-COVID-19 world. This article reflects on a history of yeast research to indicate the potential that arises from advances in science, and how this can contribute to the ongoing recovery and development of human society. Future breakthroughs in synthetic genomics are likely to unlock new avenues of impactful discoveries and solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges.


Author(s):  
Anna Hájková

The Last Ghetto is the first in-depth, analytical history of a prisoner society during the Holocaust. Terezín (Theresienstadt in German) was operated by the Nazis between November 1941 and May 1945 as a transit ghetto for Central and Western European Jews before their deportation to be murdered in the East. Rather than depict the world of the prisoners as an atomized state of exception, this book argues that the prisoner societies in the Holocaust are best understood as existing among the many known versions of societies. This book challenges the claims of Holocaust exceptionalism and insists that it be viewed with the same analytical tools as other historical events. The prisoner society Terezín produced its own social hierarchies, but the contents of categories such as class changed radically; seemingly small differences among prisoners could determine whether one ultimately lived or died. During the three and a half years of the ghetto’s existence, prisoners created their own culture and habits, bonded, fell in love, and forged new families. The shared Jewishness of the prisoners was not the basis of their identities; rather, prisoners embraced their ethnic origin. Based on extensive archival research in nine languages, The Last Ghetto is a transnational, cultural, social, gender, and organizational history of Terezín, revealing how human society works in extremis.


Author(s):  
Eric Hobsbawm

This chapter discusses Marxist historiography in the present times. In the interpretation of the world nowadays, there has been a rise in the so-called anti-Rankean reaction in history, of which Marxism is an important but not always fully acknowledged element. This movement challenged the positivist belief that the objective structure of reality was self-explanatory, and that all that was needed was to apply the methodology of science to it and explain why things happened the way they did. This movement also brought together history with the social sciences, therefore turning it into part of a generalizing discipline capable of explaining transformations of human society in the course of its past. This new perspective on the past is a return to ‘total history’, in which the focus is not merely on the ‘history of everything’ but history as an indivisible web wherein all human activities are interconnected.


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