Axial Age Research Articles

Search for a Common Ground: Jaspers on Human Existence, Cosmopolitanism and Philosophical Faith

In the wake of Kant’s Copernican Turn, Karl Jaspers underscores the inherent limits of human cognition and action. To navigate these limitations, he advocates for intercultural communication at a global level. Jaspers’ early model of the Axial Age presents a vision of simultaneous yet independent breakthroughs to transcendence within the competing spiritual traditions of classical Eurasian civilizations, aiming to reconcile the universality and diversity inherent in the experience of human freedom and finitude. His lesser-known late work on philosophical faith transforms this model, where he posits a harmonious complementarity among revelation-based religions. This paper explores the tension between Jaspers' earlier dialogical model of intercultural encounter and his later assumption of harmony among revelation-based traditions.

Determination of dynamic and physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids based on observations from 2022–2023

Astrometric and multicolor photometric observations of near-Earth asteroids have been made at the SBG telescopes of the Kourovka Astronomical Observatory of the UrFU and the Zeiss-1000 telescope of the Simeiz Observatory in 2022–2023. Improved orbital elements were obtained for seven asteroids from astrometric observations at the SBG telescope. Axial rotation periods were estimated from photometric observations for seven asteroids. Color indices for six asteroids were obtained from photometric observations in B, V, R, and I filters.

Feather keratin in Pavo cristatus: A tentative structure

Abstract Background F-keratin forms an evolutionary conserved nanocomposite which allows birds to fly. Structural models for F-keratin are all based on the pioneering X-ray diffraction studies on seagull F-keratin, first published in 1932, confirmed for other species and refined over the years. There is, however, no experimental proof because native F-keratin does not form a perfect molecular crystal as required for structure determination. Methods Peacock’s tail feathers were systematically re-investigated by taking diffraction patterns at different rotation angles. Using the recently developed AlphaFold algorithm, a collection of 3D models of arbitrarily truncated and multiplied Pavo cristatus F-keratin sequences was created. The shape, dimensions, density and interfacial exposure of functionally relevant amino acid side chains of the calculated 3D building blocks were used as the initial selection criteria for filamentous F-keratin precursors. Full reproducibility of in silico folding and agreement with previous results from mechanical testing, biochemical analyses and SAXS experiments was mandatory for suggesting the tentative structure for the novel F-keratin repeating unit. Results The filament of the F-keratin polymer is an alternating arrangement of two units called "N-block" and "C-block": Four strands AA 1–52 form a disulfide-stabilized twisted parallelepiped, with 89° internal rotation within eight levels of β-sandwiches. Four strands AA 81–100 form a two-level “β-sandwich” in which aromatic residues provide resilience, like vertebral discs in a spinal column. The pitch of an N+C-block octamer is 10 nm. Solidification may involve "C-blocks" to temporarily mold into "C-wedges" of 18° tilt, which align F-keratin into laterally amorphous fiber-reinforced composites of 9.5 nm axial periodicity. This experimentally significant distance corresponds to the fully stretched AA 53–80 matrix segment. The deformed “spinal column” unwinds under compression when F-keratin filaments perfectly align horizontally into stacked sheets in the solid state. Conclusions At present, the tentative structure presented here is without alternatives.

Supramolecular arrangements in human amyloid tissues using SAXS

Amyloid diseases are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates in human tissues, pose significant challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. Protein aggregations known as amyloids are linked to several neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and systemic amyloidosis. The key goal of this research is to employ Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) to examine the supramolecular structures of amyloid aggregates in human tissues. We present the structural analysis of amyloid using SAXS, which is employed directly to analyze thin tissue samples without damaging the tissues. This technique provides size and shape information of fibrils, which can be used to generate low-resolution 2D models. The present study investigates the structural changes in amyloid fibril axial d-spacing and scattering intensity in different human tissues, including kidney, heart, thyroid, and others, while also accounting for the presence of triglycerides in these tissues. Tissue structural components were examined at momentum transfer values between q = 0.2 nm−1 and 1.5 nm−1. The d-spacing is a critical parameter in SAXS that provides information about the periodic distances between structures within a sample. From the supramolecular SAXS patterns, the axial d-spacing of fibrils in amyloid tissues is prominent and exists within the 3rd to 10th order, compared to that of healthy tissues which do not have notable peak orders. The axial period of fibrils in amyloid tissues is within the scattering vector range 57.40–64.64 nm−1 while in normal tissues the range is between 60.68 and 61.41 nm−1, which is 3.0 nm−1 smaller than amyloid-containing tissues. Differences in d-spacing are often correlate with distinct pathological mechanisms or stages of disease progression. The application of SAXS to investigate amyloid structures in human tissues has enormous potential to further knowledge of amyloid disorders. This work will open the path for novel diagnostic instruments and therapeutic strategies meant to reduce the burden of amyloid-related diseases by offering a thorough structural examination of amyloid aggregates.

Greek history

The new paradigm of ancient economic history that has dominated the last twenty years is based on New Institutional Economics; its key concepts are growth and transaction costs. It has succeeded in proving that the ancient economies were not static and in documenting the significance of ancient markets; but by excising labour, slavery, and exploitation from discussion, the conceptual limits of this paradigm are becoming apparent to more and more people. The volume edited by John Weisweiler on debt in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East is solid evidence that an alternative, non-neoliberal, paradigm is currently in the process of formation.1 The book is obviously an attempt to assess the validity of David Graeber's blockbuster book on debt for the study of ancient economic and social history.2 As with the volume on citizenship presented below, the fact that this collection of twelve essays ranges temporally from the archaic period to the early middle ages and includes Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern societies is an excellent illustration of a growing and encouraging trend in our discipline. This is a highly stimulating volume. The essays explore: the nexus between coinage, slavery, and warfare in various ancient societies; how quantified social obligations colonized various social, political, and intellectual fields; and whether Graeber's concept of the Axial Age is valuable for the study of ancient history. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Graeber's model seems to fit best the world of ancient empires (Roman, late Roman, and Sassanian), but seems to make less sense for the world of Greek poleis. This illustrates, yet again, the need for Greek historians to think seriously about the peculiarities of the Greek world and the appropriate comparisons.

Comparing Rhetoric in Antiquity: The Greek and Indian Cases in Perspective

Abstract The understanding of rhetoric has been heavily influenced by the Western tradition, particularly the Greco-Latin tradition. Rhetoric was traditionally considered a creation of the Greeks and a unique feature of the West. However, theoretical perspectives such as Axial Age, Comparative History, Global History, and Comparative World Rhetoric offer new insights into the relationship between communication and persuasion. This paper aims to compare certain characteristics of Greek rhetoric and Indian rhetoric using the perspective of Comparative World Rhetoric. To do this, I analysed the Vedic texts, Aristotle’s Rhetoric, and the Nyāya Sūtra. I concluded that the comparison was a fundamental aspect of the rhetorical exercise in antiquity, as it allowed the speaker to better connect with the audience.

The Axial Age and the Curious Modernity of Islam

The Axial Age and the Curious Modernity of Islam

Images and Agency: Dynamics of Early Celtic Art and the Axial Age of Eurasia

This paper argues for a new way of thinking about Early Celtic art in the context of changes taking place throughout Eurasia during the fifth and fourth centuries bce. It applies ideas of anthropologist Alfred Gell, among others, regarding art as a stimulus to action. It asks, in the spirit of papers by Chris Gosden and W.J.T. Mitchell, ‘what did the art do’? The paper argues that this complex new art can be understood in terms of agency contributing to and even stimulating aggressive attitudes and practices on the part of elites during the late fifth and early fourth centuries bce. The new worldviews that are apparent in the new style, and actions driven by them, played major roles in Iron Age Europeans’ participation in the so-called Axial Age of dynamic change throughout Eurasia.

Динамическая стабильность как категория диалектического взаимодействия хаоса и космоса в онтологии сетевого бытия

The increasing information flow has led to, inter alia, the dominant role of networking in communications. Devirtualization of networking in information and physical networks has made it possible to introduce network discourse into modern philosophy. The study of writings by Laozi, Confucius and their followers demonstrates that network discourse and network thinking were developed in the philosophical works of ancient Chinese scholars as representatives of Eastern philosophical discourse. At the same time, Western philosophical discourse, which can be traced to Plato and Aristotle, rests on linear logic and linear thinking. It is only towards the end of the 20th century that the linear/network thinking opposition weakened with the recognition of network interaction, under the influence of a profound transformation during the transition to a new stage of civilization’s development, that is, to the information/digital society. This can be illustrated by the evolution of the perception of the categories chaos and cosmos in Western (linear) and Eastern (network) philosophical discourse as the basis of the development of the modern representation of dynamic stability of the network interaction system. Using the information and communication method, this paper analyses Western and Eastern philosophical discourse from the Axial Age to the present day and substantiates the introduction of the category of dynamic stability. The latter stands for a dialectically connected process of creation/destruction of communications between actors of a network interaction under the influence of the dynamics of information exchange, which indicates that a network interaction system is autopoietic. Further development of the concept of dynamic stability requires creating a mathematical apparatus for calculating measures, that is, information entropy, of a dynamically stable network. These purely abstract studies are expected to be of practical importance for the development of social networks of interpersonal and intergroup communication.

Complexity Science and Myth in Big History

From early on, David Christian’s vision of big history as a “modern creation myth” faced criticism for introducing elements of spirituality. This essay contends that the resulting controversy arises from a misunderstanding of the nature of myth. The mainstream model of myth depicts it as fanciful stories of supernatural agents that members of a society use to address their anxieties. While this is often the case, the author argues that myth can be more profitably explored as a neurobiological imperative that plays a critical role in cultural evolution. To make this case, he examines how the principles of complexity science helped him understand how human history has gone through periods, such as the Axial Age and Modernity, when the change produced by societies’ greatest successes demanded new ways of thinking about the world in order for those societies to survive. He then examines current neurobiology to explain how reinventing myth has allowed such societies to transform in ways that enabled them to meet the challenges produced by change. With this understanding of myth, the essay concludes with a discussion of how the myth of big history can allow us to contribute to the new ways of thinking that are emerging today, as culture evolves so we can meet our current existential challenges.

Taylor–Couette flow and heat transfer in an elliptical enclosure with a rotating inner cylinder

We numerically investigate Taylor–Couette flows within a system consisting of an elliptical outer cylinder and a rotating inner circular cylinder, with particular emphasis on the behavior of Taylor cells. The three-dimensional unsteady Navier–Stokes equations are solved under the assumption of axial periodicity. Also, a scalar transport equation is solved for the heat transfer. Our methodology employs a Fourier-spectral meshless discretization technique, which interpolates variables at scattered points using polyharmonic splines and appended polynomials. A pressure-projection algorithm achieves the time advancement of the flow equations. We present findings for an elliptical enclosure with an aspect ratio of two, examining a range of Reynolds numbers (Re) from subcritical to 300. Our analysis includes streamlines, axial velocity contours, pressure, vorticity, and temperature profiles. The results indicate that the flow remains steady up to Re≈300 before transitioning to an unsteady state at Re≈350.

ПРЕДПОСЫЛКИ ИНДИВИДУАЛИЗМА (СТАТЬЯ ВТОРАЯ)

This article discusses the question of how the personal element, which became the starting point of the movement toward individual thinking, manifested itself in the culture of ancient Israel and the culture of ancient India. The article attempts to describe the features of these cultures, which unlike the ancient Egyptian and Sumero-Akkadian, allowed to pass this way to the end. The process of formation of monotheism from the pre-state period to the great prophets is traced. It is noted that socio-political life, which determined with such force the status of man in a number of other Near Eastern cultures, in Israelite culture was subordinated to religious life, which otherwise determined the consciousness of man's status. In doing so, henotheism is gradually overcome. In the consciousness of the Israelite people the idea of complete dependence on God, who reveals himself through the prophets and establishes the requirement of a personal relationship to him, is established. At the same time, God, acting as a guarantor of justice, is revealed through the problem of theodicy, which can be posed only by a free personality. The movement of thought in ancient India turns out to be the opposite of what we see in ancient Israel: while the latter is affirmed through a long but persistent movement towards monotheism, Indian Brahmanism accepts the great diversity of divine reality and through the affirmation of its unity only multiplies the number of its components The decisive period for the emergence of individual consciousness was the period of the Upanishads. At this time, the deepened comprehension of the texts of the Vedas leads to the fact that a philosophical knowledge is built over religious knowledge. The specificity of Indian consciousness is determined by the long period of its oral existence, when the sounding speech in ritual or in the process of meditation acquires the key importance in the realization of the unity of the world. Individual consciousness is manifested in the process of concentration, directed towards understanding rather than mere reproduction of ritual mantras. The practice of asceticism played a role here. Just like in some other cultures in India real authorship emerges in the Axial period as an important sign of awareness of individual creativity.

Genesis and Metamorphoses of the Soviet Ritual Canon of Commemoration of the Dead Participants of the Great Patriotic War (1940s–1960s)

This article examines the emergence and subsequent development of ritual and memorial practices related to the commemoration of the dead participants in the Great Patriotic War in the USSR in the 1940s–1960s. The author demonstrates that the military ceremony that developed in 1941–1945 had a significant impact on the development of postwar commemorational rituals conducted by civilians near memorial buildings (guard of honour, pronouncing an oath, mourning salute). Further, the author considers the memorial innovations of the period of 1957–1968, which he calls “axial age,” when a memorial canon which practically did not change throughout the late Soviet period formed and is still relevant; it included the cult of the Unknown Soldier, the cult of Eternal Flame, and Komsomol-pioneer posts No. 1, etc. Their appearance in Soviet realities and subsequent distribution was due to a combination of many internal and external factors, and the coincidence of the efforts of various actors — from the top officials of the state to ideological lower-level workers and teachers. Individual ritual forms could be borrowed from abroad but transformed and adapted to Soviet memorial culture. Reflecting on the popular concept of “inventing traditions” by E. Hobsbawm and based on the examples he analysed, the author shows that the possibilities of inventing rituals “from scratch” are very limited. In fact, there is a process of creative construction, considering the practices, scenarios, material, and symbolic objects already existing in national or foreign memorial culture. There is also the effect of “ritual synergy” when the spread of some rituals creates conditions for the appearance and development of others.

The Concept of “Axial Age”: Origins, Development, and Current Status

Resumo: O artigo realiza um mapeamento histórico, epistemológico e crítico das raízes, consolidação e retomada do conceito de era axial, com destaque para seu momento de solidificação, com o livro Origem e meta da história, de Karl Jaspers (1949). A partir da análise das características epistemológicas de cada uma dessas etapas, demonstram-se os elementos de continuidade, assim como os que se modificam, na compreensão daquilo que é a era axial. Enquanto, nas duas primeiras fases (histórica e filosófica), havia uma maior ênfase na simultaneidade e na igualdade entre civilizações, seu deslocamento para o campo da sociologia (fase 3), implicou maior relevo para a diversidade de civilizações. Destaca-se que, na fase atual, diferente das etapas anteriores, o conceito se desloca da análise das civilizações pré-modernas para a análise da civilização moderna como um tipo de era axial. Apesar disso, entende-se que existe uma base comum presente em todas as fases da discussão. A investigação conclui que, a despeito de certas leituras evolucionistas aqui criticadas, a utilização do conceito de era axial, seja em chave histórico-filosófica, seja em chave sociológica, contém pressupostos cosmopolitas e plurais e, como tal, continua a ser um importante recurso analítico para a compreensão da complexidade e diversidade cultural das civilizações do passado e do presente.

Миметическая теория сегодня и ее будущее

The article discusses in a first step the explanatory power of mimetic theory as René Girard has applied it himself and as many other scholars in different academic fields. Girard understood his approach as a hypothesis that must be proven. His scholarly attitude is underlined with two examples of self-correction that he undertook during the unfolding of his theory. Today also people outside academia show an increasing interest in mimetic theory. It has also become a helpful approach to explain the current stage of our world by the example of two books, which is discussed at the end of the first section of this article. The second and third parts address important roads for future research in mimetic theory. Girard’s scapegoat theory has recently been discussed with archeologists at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia. This discussion as well as new research by primatologists may help to develop a more nuanced understanding of how an originary violence has shaped human culture. The second part of this article will refer to recent publications in this direction. The third and final part will explore possibilities for mimetic theory to reach beyond its usual focus on Judaism and Christianity. It recommends a closer connection with the axial age thesis and today’s world religion in general. It is important to note that Jewish as well as Muslim scholars have recently applied mimetic theory in their own works. I especially highlight Adnane Mokrani’s Islamic theology of nonviolence that he developed in dialogue with Girard’s approach. The dangerous stage of our current world necessitates an emphasis on nonviolence in the different religious and cultural traditions.

Numerical Simulations on Combustion and Heat Transfer in Porous Medium with Different Gyroid Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces Structures

ABSTRACT To investigate the influence of the porous medium with Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) structures on lower concentration methane combustion. This study analyzed the flow field and heat transfer in the porous medium with three types, i.e. an axial gradual period type, a conical type and a uniform type, through the pore-scale simulation (PSS) approach. In cases of this study, the flashback equivalence ratio of the conical PMB is about 12.5% lower than that of the gradient PMB at the same inlet flow velocity, and the blow-off inlet flow velocity of the conical PMB is about 30% higher than that of the gradient PMB at the same equivalence ratio. Moreover, the flame shape is closely related to the local solid structure and flow velocity. The solid surfaces radiation heat transfer occurred mainly in regions with high solid temperature gradients. Additionally, the absolute value of the radiant heat flux is about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total heat flux, which reflects the proportion of thermal convection in the heat transfer on the solid surface. Convective heat transfer between solid and fluid occurred mainly in the areas of heat recuperation known as preheat zone, and higher inlet flow rates significantly increase the upstream convective heat transfer intensity.

Human civilization dynamics: why we have different civilization patterns in history

After the Axial Age, the West moved toward continuous disunity, but China had successfully maintained a persistent unity pattern. Conventional case (history event) studies are subject to selection bias and theoretical frameworks, which is not objective narrative. We use agent-based modeling (ABM) to reveal the historical dynamics of why civilizations take on distinct patterns (unity versus disunity). In China, the Qin Dynasty (initial unity) opened the Great Unity tradition in 221 BC. Before this, there was a major chaotic period (770 BC to 221 BC) with two periods. The first period, the Spring and Autumn (770 BC to 221 BC), opened this chaotic process and indirectly led to the initial unity. Then, the second period, the Warring States period (475 BC to 221 BC), directly led to this initial unity. This work models the second period and focuses on the question of why human civilizations take on different patterns in history. Finally, we have solved the conditions and boundaries of two patterns. Based on the second period, we have different conclusions. The bellicosity threshold is around 0.2 (for the previous period, this is 0.3), and the alliance propensity threshold is around 0.8 (for the previous period, this is 0.7). Moreover, the higher winner cost (beyond 5%) makes it impossible to achieve Unity. This work has one new contribution, such as solving social knowledge. We use BP neural networks to evaluate the knowledge graph to support history learning. It explains civilization patterns for humankind.

The Forerunner of Axial Period: The Scattered Spirit of Achaemenid Dynasty in Persia

The Forerunner of Axial Period: The Scattered Spirit of Achaemenid Dynasty in Persia

Efficient finite element modelling of helical strand cables utilising periodicity

This paper proposes a repeated unit cell (RUC) FE modelling strategy for multilayered helical strand cables subject to tensile loading and bending with an initial tensile load. The approach utilises the axial periodicity in helical structures to reduce computational domain to two cable periods. A novel mesh creation method allowing the exact geometry of helical strands to be discretised into solid elements while maintaining flat end surfaces is proposed. Periodic boundary conditions (PBC) allowing for geometric and material nonlinearity are used to implement cyclic loads to study hysteresis in single and multilayered cables. Comparisons made to existing experimental and analytical results validate the models ability to capture hysteresis due to plasticity and geometric effects such as the stick–slip transition in bending. Examination of the cross-sectional stress distribution shows plasticity initiates at contact points at loads which are 25% of the load at which the cable tensile response deviates from linearity.

Myth, Modernity, and the Legacy of the Axial Age: Taylor, Habermas, Assmann, and Jaspers.

This article analyzes the legacy of the idea of an Axial Age with a particular focus on Habermas, Taylor, Assmann, and Jaspers. I ask what has motivated the use of the concept and illustrate the ways in which it is situated in the twentieth-century debate on myth. I then respond to the limitations of the concept's legacy and turn to two overlooked elements of Jaspers's initial intervention: In contrast to the dominant discourse, he argued that myth changed its form and was not replaced by logos; he also argued that the Axial Age failed rather than succeeded.