Contemporary Views Research Articles

ANCIENT INDIAN CONCEPTS AS PORTRAYED IN CONTEMPORARY WESTERN FILMS

Historically, in the European imagination, India was a place that existed outside of history. The German philosopher G.W.F.Hegel wrote that India-with its psychology, religion, caste-system, and holy men - existed in a dream-like state. However, India, like every other place in the world, has never existed outside of history as an exotic dreamland. It has had itsown complex economic, social and political things going on regardless of whether the West was aware of it. India is a dream of the West. Being a maelstrom of human, social, and spiritual contradictions, India has always attracted many western filmmakers. In order to give a glimpse of its ancient concepts, complex reality and dynamism the contemporary global view of filmmakers on the lifestyle and the diversity of this country has been proposed. Many westernfilmmakers, including those from France, have had a desire to express themselves often with talent.The aim of this research paper is to bring forth their insight into life and culture of India. An analysis of how Westerners have stereotyped Indian concepts or accounted for the profound changes inIndian societyin their films has been done.

Bezpieczeństwo energetyczne Europy w kontekście rosyjskiej inwazji na Ukrainę

The article presents an objective vision of the causes, content and possible consequences of non-compliance with energy security for the EU or Western democratic countries in connection with Russian imperialism’s aggression against Ukraine as a manifestation of the resurgent colonial Soviet thinking and practice of conquering states and enslaving nations. The concept of energy security has relatively new roots. Intensification of research, attempts at its systemic conceptualization are still ongoing. The author takes a contemporary view of the goals, threats, instruments, and methods of implementation of the policy of energy independence of the EU, diversification of resources and suppliers, and politically assesses the consequences of the still not fully overcome model of supply of raw materials from Russia to the countries of Europe as a hybrid threat. The scientific point of view organically correlates with the civic position, the principles of transatlantic energy security policy and the democratic European vision of contemporary events.

Forex In The Eyes Of Shariah: A Qualitative Analysis In The Malaysian Context

The purpose of this study is to expound the fundamentals leading to the verdict about the permissibility of foreign exchange trading or simply forex. The jurisdiction will cover Quranic verses, Hadith and Islamic legal maxims or commonly known as qawaid fiqhiyyah. The contemporary views of the ulema were also discussed as the scope would later be focused in a Malaysian context. The primary data from a questionnaire to 100 Malaysian respondents would be presented. The findings show that most of the Malaysian respondents were aware of Forex trading but they had never attempted. This was due to their state of not well informed about Forex due to skepticism and extreme doubt. They also felt more secure not involved with this trading and this related strongly to their prejudice. Therefore, implications were covered in three spheres of influence: economic, social and national perspectives. Finally, recommendations for respective parties such as governments, auctioning bodies and general public would be mentioned as well in order to address the public incognizance about Forex from Sharia perspective. The research concluded that riba (usury) will never be accepted in any circumstances, and if Forex insists on incorporating this despised element, then this financial transaction might stay haram (forbidden) indefinitely, unless otherwise abiding the Islamic apparatus and guidelines.

Conceptualizations and evaluations of (im)politeness in Syrian Arabic

Abstract This paper explores (im)politeness conceptualizations and evaluations and the moral foundations of lay notions of (im)politeness in Syrian Arabic. The data were collected using an online questionnaire which was administered to 88 native speaking participants. The results show that participants consider politeness and impoliteness as polar opposites; both are viewed as (in)consideration for others, chiefly conveyed through (dis)respect, and upholding/violating appropriate behaviors, respectively. Moreover, the results show that notions of hierarchical respect, face, equity rights, reciprocity, and attending to others’ needs are central in motivating participants’ views of (im)politeness. These notions are rooted in the moral foundations of authority/respect, fairness/reciprocity, and harm/care. Additionally, interesting findings emerge in that politeness in Syrian Arabic appears to be more of a relational phenomenon, based on morality, which is in line with contemporary views on politeness, than a rational and strategic behavior, as theorized in classical approaches.

A Constructivist Perspective on Empirical Discrimination Research

Contemporary scholars view race as a constructed social category, not a biological fact. Yet most empirical discrimination research treats race no differently than other individual characteristics typically observed in data. This article considers the implications of adopting a constructivist perspective instead. I develop a simple model where agents use observable characteristics to both interpret membership in racial social categories and make decisions. Discrimination is the result of acting based on perceived social identity. The model highlights the need to measure the racial “first stage”—the social identity contrast between individuals—instead of relying on race as coded in data, and draws a novel distinction between race-based and direct statistical discrimination. I illustrate some implications using data on wages, speech patterns, and skin color and conclude with strategies for future research that build on the constructivist model. (JEL J15, J31, J71, K38)

Buckwheat Flour (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)-A Contemporary View on the Problems of Its Production for Human Nutrition.

Buckwheat is returning to the countries of Central Europe; there are several reasons for this: firstly, due to its interesting chemical composition (proteins, fibre, and phenolic compounds), which is reflected in its nutritional value and potential health benefits. Secondly, because buckwheat, and buckwheat flour especially, are suitable raw materials for the production of gluten-free foods. Buckwheat flours are classified similarly to wheat flours, but the different anatomy of wheat grains and buckwheat seeds makes this classification partly misleading. While wheat flours are largely produced by one standard process, the production process for buckwheat flours is more varied. For wheat and wheat flours, the basic quality parameters and their required ranges for different types of primary and secondary processing are clearly defined. This is not the case for buckwheat and buckwheat flours, and the definition of the parameters and their ranges that characterize its technological quality remain unclear. The standardization of quality parameters and production processes is likely to be necessary for the potential expansion of the use of buckwheat for food production and, in particular, for bakery products.

Accounting infrastructure and promissory sustainable extractive industries: an actor-network theory analysis

PurposeThis study aims to articulate the conceptual foundations of the role of accounting infrastructure (calculative practice and the communicative dimension of accounting) in extractive industries (EIs) towards a sustainable orientation from an actor-network theory (ANT) perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a literature-based analysis of the calculative property and communicative dimension of accounting in EIs, using the concepts of calculability, assemblage and other related concepts from ANT to identify potentialities and limits of the roles of accounting in this sector.FindingsWhile accounting infrastructure can influence social and environmental outcomes, it has not, as yet, led to ecologically and socially sustainable practices in EIs. Calculative properties and the communicative dimension of accounting infrastructure have capabilities to foster the phenomenon of “sustainability” in EIs by valuing, disclosing (reporting) and governing EIs towards a sustainable orientation. Conceptualizing sustainable EIs as a promissory economy, accounting infrastructure serves as a tool not only to represent past performance but also to enact the future: it helps to shape a sustainable future for the industry by informing and triggering behavioural decisions of EIs firms towards sustainable practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis conceptual paper is anticipated to stimulate future sustainability accounting research. The research agenda discussed in this paper can be used to enrich our understanding of the role of accounting in sustainability.Originality/valueThis paper charts a direction for future research by interpreting the role of sustainability accounting within networks of sociotechnical relations, using ANT concepts which attach importance to the dualism of nature and society. Conceptualizing sustainability accounting and reporting as an infrastructure, which draws more attention to the relationality characteristic of accounting, the study goes beyond the traditional interpretation of accounting as a mediation device and draws on a contemporary view of accounting by invoking the dynamic relation between accounting and society, in the context of EIs.

Cognitive Flexibility in Early Childhood: A Contemporary View of the Development of Flexible Goal-Oriented Behavior

Cognitive Flexibility in Early Childhood: A Contemporary View of the Development of Flexible Goal-Oriented Behavior

Insulin and the kidneys: a contemporary view on the molecular basis.

Insulin is a hormone that is composed of 51 amino acids and structurally organized as a hexamer comprising three heterodimers. Insulin is the central hormone involved in the control of glucose and lipid metabolism, aiding in processes such as body homeostasis and cell growth. Insulin is synthesized as a large preprohormone and has a leader sequence or signal peptide that appears to be responsible for transport to the endoplasmic reticulum membranes. The interaction of insulin with the kidneys is a dynamic and multicenter process, as it acts in multiple sites throughout the nephron. Insulin acts on a range of tissues, from the glomerulus to the renal tubule, by modulating different functions such as glomerular filtration, gluconeogenesis, natriuresis, glucose uptake, regulation of ion transport, and the prevention of apoptosis. On the other hand, there is sufficient evidence showing the insulin receptor's involvement in renal functions and its responsibility for the regulation of glucose homeostasis, which enables us to understand its contribution to the insulin resistance phenomenon and its association with the progression of diabetic kidney disease.

Kierkegaard on belief and credence

AbstractKierkegaard's pseudonym Johannes Climacus famously defines faith as a risky “venture” that requires “holding fast” to “objective uncertainty.” Yet puzzlingly, he emphasizes that faith requires resolute conviction and certainty. Moreover, Climacus claims that all beliefs about contingent propositions about the external world “exclude doubt” and “nullify uncertainty,” but also that uncertainty is “continually present” in these very same beliefs. This paper argues that these apparent contradictions can be resolved by interpreting Climacus as a belief‐credence dualist. That is, Climacus holds that beliefs and credences (i.e., degrees of belief) are two irreducibly distinct types of mental states. Beliefs are resolutions that close inquiry, thereby excluding doubt and reflecting subjective certainty by disregarding the possibility of error. Credences, by contrast, reflect assessments of evidential probabilities, thereby encoding a recognition of “objective uncertainty” by acknowledging the possibility of error. In addition to solving a vexing interpretive puzzle and showing how Kierkegaard anticipates contemporary views about the nature of belief and credence, this paper demonstrates that Kierkegaard developed a sophisticated account of the nature of belief, doubt, and certainty that merits serious philosophical consideration.

Who’s Your Daddy? In Search of the “Father” of Pentecostalism

The concept of assigning a person the title of father of an ideology or view has its roots in ancient Greek and Roman society where some of the earliest of such references occur. Fatherhood in the context of this paper refers to the originator of the ideas and concepts central to and underpinning Pentecostalism. To determine who the rightful “father” of Pentecostalism is, a closer consideration of the history of the Movement and the contemporary views on the possible contenders, are justified. The four predominant theories in contemporary scholarship seem to be 1) Charles Parham is the father of Pentecostalism thanks to the events in Topeka, Kansas in 1901 and his subsequent doctrine of spirit baptism with accompanied speaking in tongues, 2) William Seymore and the events in Azusa Street Mission from which the global Pentecostal Movement grew, 3) Both Parham and Seymore contributed in a significant way and should thus be equally recognised for their respective roles, 4) The Holy Spirit is the father of Pentecostalism as Spirit Baptism is a Holy Spirit initiated event. There is significant evidence that both Parham and Seymour distanced themselves from what has become common practice among Pentecostals and tenets central to Pentecostalism respectively. This would eliminate both men, and thus three of the four views, with the last option also raising concerns.

Validity and Soundness in the First Way

This article critically examines the structure and implications of the argument in ST 1, Q2, A3, associated with Aquinas’ First Way. Our central endeavor is to discern whether a certain disambiguation of point 6 (“There is something that is not moving/changing that moves/changes other things”) can be logically inferred from points 1-5. Through a three-part proof, the article establishes that under specific conditions, it can indeed be inferred. However, this interpretation notably diverges from Aquinas’ intended conclusion and subsequent stronger interpretations of the claim. The paper also engages in discussions surrounding the soundness of the argument, assessing the plausibility of its premises in light of physics and logical analysis. The contribution does not seek to speculate on Aquinas’ understanding or to dismiss his perspective but rather to delineate what follows from his First Way premises, highlighting discrepancies with contemporary views on the nature of existence, particularly the notion of God.

White Supremacy and the Making of Anthropology

This review presents a historical and contemporary view of white supremacy as an entrenched global system based on presumed biological and cultural difference, related practices of racism, the valorization of whiteness, and the denigration of nonwhiteness. We center the role of the discipline of anthropology, and contend that the discipline is shaped by, and shapes, structures of white supremacy. In this article, we detail anthropology's role in the development of racial science and the subsequent placement of whiteness at the top of the world's global political and cultural systems of power. We examine the early critiques of anthropology's racializing practices by Black and Indigenous anthropologists, which set the stage for an anti-imperial analysis that addressed how white power was entrenched within the discipline and broader society. Last, we discuss emerging scholarship on the anthropology of white supremacy and the methodological and theoretical shifts that push the discipline and refine the concept.

Learning research: theory building and theory testing in educational technology innovation and beyond

This study draws on extensive ethnographic data and a multiple case study design to develop new theory about innovation processes and techniques. By contrasting the experiences and outcomes of five innovation projects in an educational technology company, the study considers two distinct, if often interrelated, strategies to navigating market uncertainty: theory building and theory testing. The paper theorizes how the appropriate balance between these two strategies is driven by the multiplicity, or number of and relationships between relevant stakeholders and stakeholder interests, in the innovation context. The data suggest that multiplicity increases the value of rigorous – and potentially more time-consuming – theory building, while simultaneously increasing the potential risks and costs of poorly grounded theory testing. These insights challenge contemporary views on innovation teaching and practice, which have increasingly emphasized action over analysis.

Pandangan Fukaha Kontemporer Tentang Hukum Bermuamalah dengan Bank Syariah

The current performance of Islamic banking is quite encouraging, but for the market share of Islamic banking, which is currently still relatively small, even though the majority of Indonesia's population is Muslim. Knowledge or literacy has a significant influence on people's interest in muamalah with Islamic banks. This paper tries to describe contemporary jurists' views regarding the law dealing with Islamic banks. Contemporary jurists allow muamalah with Islamic banks because deposits in Islamic banks are built on the principle of mudaraba and there is no usury on it, this is as expressed by Wahbah al-Zuhaylī, usāmuddīn 'Afānah, al-Dubyān, Al-Qarḍāwī, Islam Web, Ibn Bāz, Dāirat al-Iftā and DSN MUI. According to DSN MUI wadiah or deposits in Islamic banks are yad dhamānah not yad amanāh and according to Adiwarman Karim Islamic banks are allowed to give bonuses to customers if they are not required in advance, i.e. the gift is a voluntary gift given by the bank as its policy. According to contemporary fukaha, the law of saving in Islamic banks can be recommended in order to implement and enforce Islamic values

Stock Investment According to Classic and Contemporary Ulama Views: Comparative Law Studies

There is an increase in stock problems in the contemporary era. Various economic issues no longer have conventional nuances but are integrated with the digital world. Numerous applications and website portals have been created that promise attractive profits when investing and selling shares on their forums. Investing in stocks became a lucrative business with little effort put into its application. The highest power is vested in the largest shareholder, not in workers who have direct contact with the business it self. Problems arise when discussing the legal validity of the event. This is due to the presence of trade monopoly indications and capitalist elements. Furthermore, the concrete stock issues never discussed by classical ulemas are likely to differ from those discussed by current ulemas living in modern or postmodern society. Therefore, it is considered far more relevant to view contemporary economic problems such as stocks in light of contemporary ulema's views. This article examines the views of famous classical ulemas of their time, as well as contemporary ulemas, regarding stocks in general. This study uses a comparative analysis with a normative review of Islamic law and positive law in Indonesia.

Effect-less? Event-files are not terminated by distal action effects

Event-files that bind features of stimuli, responses, and action effects figure prominently in contemporary views of action control. When a previous feature repeats, a previous event-file is retrieved and can influence current performance. It is unclear, however, what terminates an event-file. A tacit assumption is that registering the distal (e.g., visual or auditory) sensory consequences of an action (i.e., the “action effect”) terminates the event-file, thereby making it available for retrieval. We tested three different action-effect conditions (no distal action effect, visual action effect, or auditory action effect) in the same stimulus-response (S-R) binding task and observed no modulation of S-R binding effects. Instead, there were comparably large binding effects in all conditions. This suggests that proximal (e.g., somatosensory, proprioceptive) action effects terminate event-files independent of distal (e.g., visual, auditory) action effects or that the role event-file termination plays for S-R binding effects needs to be corrected. We conclude that current views of action control require further specification.

Mental health nurse education: a contemporary view in the debate between generic and specialist approaches

Mental health nurse education: a contemporary view in the debate between generic and specialist approaches

A Review of the Rationale for Jesus’ Use of David’s Example in Matthew 12: 3-4 in Contemporary Scholarly Debate

The rationale for Jesus’ use of David’s story in Matt 12:3-4 has attracted varied views in biblical scholarship. The text records Jesus’ use of David’s example in the first Sabbath conflict in Matthew’s Gospel. This article attempted to sample prominent scholarly views on the Matt 12:3-4. This article adopted a descriptive and evaluative approach to sample views of contemporary scholars in Jesus’ use of David’s example, Matt 12:3-4, in the first Sabbath conflict. The aims were to describe and evaluate contemporary scholarly views on why Jesus used David’s story in Matthew 12:3-4. This article used the descriptive and evaluative qualitative method of research. This article surveyed the literature on the hermeneutical appraisal of David’s example in Matt 12:3-4. It centered on scholarly arguments and appraisal of the rabbinic hermeneutics of Matt 12:1-8. Two prominent views on Jesus’ methodology are identified as: (1) rabbinic hermeneutics and (2) typological hermeneutics. Scholarly arguments centered mainly on the Christological and authority approaches to the text. The authors concluded that the above postulations of scholars do not adequately explains why Jesus used the example of David in answering the Pharisaic query. Hence, a critical look at the text requires a hermeneutical review of the arguments advanced by scholars for these approaches. As such, further study to explore the possible reason why Jesus used David’s example in Matt 12:3-4 would be in order. This research has contributed to scholarship on the Sabbath controversy in Matt 12:1-8. Keywords: David’s story in Matt 12:3-4, Jesus’ Methodology, Rabbinic Hermeneutics, Typological Hermeneutics, Christology.

Public space in different cultural conditions: The cases of Glasgow and Poznań

Public spaces are among the most important components of the contemporary city. They are supposed to be places of vibrant social life, where a broad set of activities and behaviours can be observed. However, the role of public spaces as well as their spatial features can differ in various societies. The built environment, as a human creation, is affected by many social factors and one of them is culture. Thus, cultural conditions can have an impact on how urban space is created, perceived, and used. Those differences are most clearly visible in distant cultures, but they may occur to a greater or lesser extent within a single culture circle. Public spaces, because of their accessibility, egalitarianism, and wide range of users are especially useful as an area of research on the relationship between space and culture. This paper presents differences between Glasgow (United Kingdom) and Poznań (Poland) in the perception and attitude towards urban public space concerning cultural conditions. The theoretical background of the relations between space and culture, and the contemporary views of public space are discussed. Afterwards, the results of the survey study conducted in both cities are presented. The research results are discussed in the context of cultural differences derived from the cultural models and show that cultural dimensions can be used to explain the activity of users of urban public spaces. They also indicate that the variety in behaviour patterns and approaches to public space can be observed within the European cultural circle.