General Arguments Research Articles

To sit quietly by oneself: on neoliberal capitalism’s ‘unprecedented inner loneliness’

Building upon Max Weber’s insightful critique of the capitalist spirit as causing ‘unprecedented inner loneliness’, this article traces the trajectory of a fraught subjectivity over the course of a socioeconomic order from the Protestant Reformation to the present. Beginning with the premise that this socioeconomic order has a long history of both inviting and foreclosing upon the capacity to have an inner life, the general argument is pursued that grappling with one’s separateness, as well as the separateness of the object, gives rise to an inevitable sense of loneliness. This psychoanalytically informed sense of loneliness is juxtaposed with the gnawing loneliness that seems to haunt neoliberal subjectivity, revealing how the former might provide an imperfect but still viable antidote to our increasing inability to sit quietly by ourselves. Particular focus is given to re-evaluating Winnicott’s notion of the capacity to be alone in light of cultivating a separate self. The article concludes with some tentative thoughts on what suffering a separate self might entail, including suffering one’s inevitable loneliness.

Pathological Character of Modifications to Coincident General Relativity: Cosmological Strong Coupling and Ghosts in f(Q) Theories.

The intrinsic presence of ghosts in the symmetric teleparallel framework is elucidated. We illustrate our general arguments in f(Q) theories by studying perturbations in the three inequivalent spatially flat cosmologies. Two of these branches exhibit reduced linear spectra, signalling they are infinitely strongly coupled. For the remaining branch we unveil the presence of seven gravitational degrees of freedom and show that at least one of them is a ghost. Our results rule out f(Q) cosmologies and clarify the number of propagating degrees of freedom in these theories.

HUKUM ZAKAT PERHIASAN EMAS DALAM PERSPEKTIF ISLAM (STUDI KOMPARASI ANTARA MAZHAB HANAFI DAN MAZHAB SYAFI’I)

This study aims to determine the law of zakat on gold jewelry according to the Ḥanafī and Syāfi'ī schools as well as the similarities and differences between the two schools. To get answers to the above problems, the type of research used is qualitative research in the form of library research focused on manuscript and text studies. The research results found are; First, according to the Ḥanafī school of thought, gold jewelry is obliged to pay zakat based on general and specific arguments regarding the law of gold zakat. Second, the Syafi'i School views that zakat on gold jewelery is not obligatory to pay. Third, the similarity of the views of the Ḥanafī school and the Syāfi'ī school regarding the law of zakat on gold jewelry is their agreement that it is obligatory to pay zakat on gold jewelry worn by men. The two schools of thought also agree that it is obligatory to pay zakat on gold jewelry that is forbidden to be used by women or men. The difference between the two schools of thought is their difference in looking at the gold jewelry, the Hanafi school views it in terms of the basic material of gold jewelry so that the law is the same as gold which is not used as jewelry that must be paid zakat while the Syāfi'ī school views that gold jewelry has already been paid. is no longer judged as mining goods because it has changed its form so that it is the same as goods used to meet human needs so that zakat is not obligatory to be issued.

Development of Design Principles of Group Awareness Tool for Facilitating Computer-supported Collaborative Argumentation

As one of the forms of collaborative learning, collaborative argumentation can improve students’ argumentation skills, promote effective content learning and cultivate critical thinking. Especially in the field of Computer-supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), such as conflicts between group members, free-riding behavior, and unequal participation occur frequently. At the same time, in the CSCL environment, it is difficult to coordinate one’s actions with other group members’ actions. These problems are mainly caused by learners who cannot obtain group awareness information about accompanying learners and the current group. Therefore, this study according to the previous research, the initial design principles and initial specific guidelines for the group awareness tool were identified. After that, three educational technology experts reviewed the initial design principles and guidelines. The modified specific guidelines were applied to the two-week classroom teaching of 45 first-year students in a class. In addition, a learners’ response survey was conducted on the students who actually participated in the computer-supported collaborative argumentation activities. Finally, the results of questionnaire surveys (n=45) and interviews (n=5) were analyzed, and the final specific guidelines were developed. According to the research results, collaborative argumentation based on group awareness tool solves the problem that general collaborative argumentation activities can’t obtain timely information on the cognitive, behavioral, and social awareness of accompanying learners and the current group study situation. It can continuously maintain their study motivation and promote interaction among learners to improve the quality of computer-supported collaborative learning.

Weak Scale Supersymmetry Emergent from the String Landscape.

Superstring flux compactifications can stabilize all moduli while leading to an enormous number of vacua solutions, each leading to different 4-d laws of physics. While the string landscape provides at present the only plausible explanation for the size of the cosmological constant, it may also predict the form of weak scale supersymmetry which is expected to emerge. Rather general arguments suggest a power-law draw to large soft terms, but these are subject to an anthropic selection of a not-too-large value for the weak scale. The combined selection allows one to compute relative probabilities for the emergence of supersymmetric models from the landscape. Models with weak scale naturalness appear most likely to emerge since they have the largest parameter space on the landscape. For finetuned models such as high-scale SUSY or split SUSY, the required weak scale finetuning shrinks their parameter space to tiny volumes, making them much less likely to appear compared to natural models. Probability distributions for sparticle and Higgs masses from natural models show a preference for Higgs mass mh∼125 GeV, with sparticles typically beyond the present LHC limits, in accord with data. From these considerations, we briefly describe how natural SUSY is expected to be revealed at future LHC upgrades. This article is a contribution to the Special Edition of the journal Entropy, honoring Paul Frampton on his 80th birthday.

Lessons from the modernist project for the Amazon

In 1972, the Brazilian government implemented a colonisation scheme and a series of new towns along the Transamazonian Highway, then under construction. The state-driven project aimed for regional development, economic growth, and national integration, which legitimised the military regime. Despite robust funding, it was abandoned as a failure a couple of years later. Since then, deforestation and a low Human Development Index have marked the region. This paper analyses the governmental colonisation project and its manifestation through historical interpretative method and urban morphology, based on original documents, a site visit, and economic, political, social, environmental, and agricultural studies. The paper introduces the notion of national development and modernisation, closely related to the physical transformation of the natural environment. It then examines the colonisation scheme and the new town layouts. It also compares them with a successful precedent, the private colonisation enterprise in northern Paraná state. Finally, the paper points out some of the constraints of the Amazonia project and sheds light on this town and country planning fiasco. The general argument is that architectural and urban design was treated as a sign of modernity insofar as it implied a radically different outcome from both the contested urban reality and the natural environment to be subjugated. Modernist thought and functionalist layouts materialised the aspiration to completely transform the habitat instead of adapting to it.

Social skills in neurodevelopmental disorders: a study using role-plays to assess adolescents and young adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and autism spectrum disorders.

Social skills are frequently impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic conditions, including 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although often assessed with questionnaires, direct assessment provides a more valid estimate of the constructs. Role-plays (i.e., simulates situational settings) therefore appear to be an appropriate indicator of social skills in daily life. This co-registered study involved 53 individuals with 22q11DS, 34 individuals with ASD, and 64 typically developing (TD) peers aged 12-30years. All participants were assessed with role-plays as well as parent-reported questionnaires and clinical interviews focusing on social skills, functioning and anxiety. Both clinical groups showed impaired social skills compared to TD, but distinct social profiles emerged between the groups. Individuals with 22q11DS displayed higher social appropriateness and clarity of speech but weaker general argumentation and negotiation skills, with the opposite pattern observed in participants with ASD. No association was found between social skills measured by direct observation and caregiver reports. Social anxiety, although higher in clinical groups than in TD, was not associated with role-plays. This study highlights the need to train social skills through tailored interventions to target the specific difficulties of each clinical population. It also highlights the importance of combining measures as they do not necessarily provide the same outcome.

On the emergent “Quantum” theory in complex adaptive systems

We explore the concept of emergent quantum-like theory in complex adaptive systems, and examine in particular the concrete example of such an emergent (or “mock”) quantum theory in the Lotka–Volterra system. In general, we investigate the possibility of implementing the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics on classical systems, and what would be the conditions for using such an approach. We start from a standard description of a classical system via Hamilton–Jacobi (HJ) equation and reduce it to an effective Schrodinger-type equation, with a (mock) Planck constant ▪ , which is system-dependent. The condition for this is that the so-called quantum potential VQ, which is state-dependent, is canceled out by some additional term in the HJ equation. We consider this additional term to provide for the coupling of the classical system under consideration to the ‘environment’. We assume that a classical system could cancel out the VQ term (at least approximately) by fine tuning to the environment. This might provide a mechanism for establishing a stable, stationary states in (complex) adaptive systems, such as biological systems. In particular, we present a general argument as to why the non-equilibrium dynamics of a classical system could lead to a mock quantum description that ensures stability compatible with adaptability. In this context we emphasize the state dependent nature of the mock quantum dynamics and we also introduce the new concept of the mock quantum, state dependent, statistical field theory. We also discuss some universal features of the quantum-to-classical as well as the mock-quantum-to-classical transition found in the turbulent phase of the hydrodynamic formulation of our proposal. In this way we re-frame the concept of decoherence into the concept of ‘quantum turbulence’, i.e. that the transition between quantum and classical could be defined in analogy to the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in hydrodynamics.

Evolutionary Accounts of Religion within a Christian Account of Big History

Big History is a mode of thought that seeks to integrate findings of the natural sciences, social sciences, and history into a coherent overarching story of the universe and of humanity. The humanity-related elements in Big History will necessarily include the emergence of "religion," including Evolutionary Accounts of Religion (EAR). Here we review two programmatic contributions to EAR, by Dunbar and Torrey, and then propose a theistic account of Big History through which to respond to their proposals. We accept their general argument that humanity's religious capacities have emerged through the evolutionary history of the Homo genus, yet we offer a theistic alternative to their accounts of the evolutionary function of religion. We then argue for how one aspect of humanity's evolved religious capacities, namely the proclivity of the Homo sapiens brain to produce transcendent ambiguity (many gods, etc.), reflects not a flaw in God's design but an evolutionary outcome intended by God--to facilitate humanity's search for God.

Evolutionary Accounts of Religion within a Christian Account of Big History

Big History is a mode of thought that seeks to integrate findings of the natural sciences, social sciences, and history into a coherent overarching story of the universe and of humanity. The humanity-related elements in Big History will necessarily include the emergence of "religion," including Evolutionary Accounts of Religion (EAR). Here we review two programmatic contributions to EAR, by Dunbar and Torrey, and then propose a theistic account of Big History through which to respond to their proposals. We accept their general argument that humanity's religious capacities have emerged through the evolutionary history of the Homo genus, yet we offer a theistic alternative to their accounts of the evolutionary function of religion. We then argue for how one aspect of humanity's evolved religious capacities, namely the proclivity of the Homo sapiens brain to produce transcendent ambiguity (many gods, etc.), reflects not a flaw in God's design but an evolutionary outcome intended by God--to facilitate humanity's search for God.

Does the European Union's rule of law require the criminalisation of EU public officials? A first appraisal

AbstractThis article emphasises the role of criminal law as a strategic form of accountability aimed at safeguarding the EU rule of law, especially when public officials are entrusted with powers that may violate fundamental rights. Abuses committed in the context of border management serve as a case study and a test bench for the more general argument developed in the contribution. It is argued that criminal law—through sanctioning serious abuse of power irrespective of any lucrative intent—contributes to the legitimacy of policies and actions carried out in the name of the union. As impunity gaps may result from the difficult application of domestic law, the article maintains that it is necessary to stigmatise at the union's level such misdeeds that go beyond cases of mere bad policy or ‘maladministration’. It therefore advocates for a directive requiring Member States to criminalise abuse of powers, which are in breach of the rule of law as one of the foundational values enshrined in Article 2 TEU.

Caring, law, and solidarity—on the need for reorientation

Abstract What significance does care have in law? How is solidarity understood in the relationship between individuals, society, and the state, and what needs to be changed? How should the welfare state promote care and caring relationships by granting solidary forms of support and enabling beyond the already existing but insufficient rights and services? These questions guide the analysis; German law and EU law are important points of reference, but the general argument transcends national borders and jurisdictions. It results that solidarities are ambivalent, the recognition of care-related rights and provision of care services and infrastructures is insufficient. There is a need for care policies based on solidarity. Although there are numerous fragmented regulations in family, labour and social law with regard to care and care needs, these are often inadequate. Coherent and solidarity-based care policies, such as those developed by some countries and international organizations, can serve as a stimulus and inspiration for social and legal policies in Germany and elsewhere. Although the contents of solidarity as a legal principle is rather indeterminate and open to the discretion of the state, solidarity can be an important part of the argument, because the social support and organization of care is in the interest of society and of all those who need or provide care and contribute to the public good.

From Railways to Aircraft: Officine Meccaniche Reggiane’s Successful Product Transition in the 1930s

In 1936 Gianni Caproni, one of the biggest aircraft producers in Italy, bought one of the biggest engineering companies in Emilia Romagna, the Officine Meccaniche Reggiane, and started manufacturing and exporting some of the topmost fighters ever produced in Italy. Based on different archival sources this paper would like to shed light on why, despite a national technological obsolescence in the field a company, which focused on the production of railway material, was able to come up with the most technologically innovative fighters (the Re. 2000 and successive models) which soon conquered the Italian and foreign markets. The author would like to indicate the original characteristics which help explain its primacy: the unique features of the Reggiane, the role of the new owner, risk-taker and forward-looking entrepreneur Gianni Caproni and in particular the importance of the transmission of knowledge, which in those autarchic years and in this particular case was reached by attracting human capital from abroad. The general argumentation of the paper would like to show the importance of deeply excavating in the company’s history, managerial choices, risk-taking attitudes, and knowledge transfer in explaining an otherwise almost inexplicable international business success in a such a competitive sector. The approach is not purely descriptive: the paper analyses the facts and figures of the Officine Meccaniche Reggiane before and after the Caproni takeover, it evaluates the company’s innovative production strategy in the new field of aircraft production and offers new interpretations on its success story in this field.

Generalized sweeping line spanners

We present sweeping line graphs, a generalization of Θ-graphs. We show that these graphs are spanners of the complete graph, as well as of the visibility graph when line segment constraints or polygonal obstacles are considered. Our proofs use general inductive arguments to make the step to the constrained setting. These same arguments could apply to other spanner constructions in the unconstrained setting, removing the need to find separate proofs that they are spanning in the constrained and polygonal obstacle settings.

Mills, The racial contract and ideal theory

ABSTRACT Among mainstream political philosophers, Charles Mills is probably best known, not as the author of The Racial Contract, but for his long-running critique of ideal theory and Rawls for his association with it. Yet the critique of ideal theory that followed the publication of The Racial Contract is prefigured in that very work, where we find in inchoate form what would be further developed later on. In the book, this early formulation of the critique occupies a small part of a larger, more general argument condemning mainstream political philosophy for the way that it has ignored race. In this paper, I explore the relation of the critique to this more general argument. It might be thought that the general argument leads inevitably to the critique of ideal theory. I will argue that this is not so. I will show how Mills’ more general argument can be made without taking the further step of critiquing ideal theorizing. The blame for why mainstream political philosophy has ignored race, and continues to ignore race, I will argue, should be placed elsewhere.

Political emotions in violent contexts: do moral shocks influence activism?

ABSTRACT Feelings of injustice and political engagement are often connected, sometimes unquestioningly; the idea being that one generates the other along a sort of continuum. This article examines the links that surface between moral feelings – as a specific form of political emotional experience – and engagement, starting with a decentring of current Western democratic contexts and a shift towards coercive or authoritarian contexts, using field research from the Middle East. Clearly, the emotional intensification linked to violent political experiences must be taken into account, but this emotional intensification does not alone establish any necessary continuity between the shock of certain experiences, a feeling of injustice, and engagement. Activist articulations of a feeling of injustice are in fact three-layered: expression of a feeling fed by lived or transmitted experiences, a reference to ideological frameworks that both legitimise their forms of engagement and help give meaning to their situation, and inscription within a general moral argument.

New Results on a Partial Differential Equation with General Piecewise Constant Argument

There have been very few analyses on partial differential equations with piecewise constant arguments and as far as we know, there is no study conducted on heat equation with piecewise constant argument of generalized type. Motivated by this fact, this study aims to solve and analyse heat equation with piecewise constant argument of generalized type. We obtain formal solution of heat equation with piecewise constant argument of generalized type by separation of variables. We apply the Laplace transform method using unit step function and method of steps on each consecutive intervals. We investigate stability, oscillation, boundedness properties of solutions.

Restorative Justice Approach To Certain Criminal Actions With The Threat Of Under Five Years Prison In Functioning Criminal Law As Ultimum Remedium

The purpose of this research is to find out the concept of criminal law renewal to place restorative justice as ultimum remedium in certain crimes with a prison sentence of under five years. This type of normative legal research with the type of legal synchronization. Collecting data on normative legal research uses data collection techniques from a literature study. In drawing conclusions the author uses the deductive thinking method, namely a way of thinking that draws conclusions from a general statement or argument into a specific statement. the results of research and discussion can be concluded. First; The restorative justice approach to criminal acts with the threat of imprisonment for under five years finds its footing in the basic philosophy of Pancasila, namely in accordance with the 4th precept of Pancasila "Deliberation to reach consensus". Currently, restorative justice has been regulated in various regulations/policies. The contents of this internal policy show that there is no uniformity in understanding and boundaries of criminal acts that can be resolved through restorative justice and does not create an Integrated Criminal Justice System. and the imposition of criminal sanctions on perpetrators

Thinking Gestures. On How the Philosophical Conceptualization of Ordinary Life Can Be Shaped by Art Practices

Abstract As a speculative and abstract discipline, philosophy is traditionally considered to be in dialectical tension with physical experience and daily practice. In contrast to this conventional and idealistic perspective, and in line with aesthetics as embodied knowledge, this article attempts to show that not only do we constantly think via gestures, movements, and physical experiences but also that there is no need to disconnect a concept from practice. Passing from Wittgenstein’s idea of “form of life” to the pragmatist aesthetics initiated by Dewey’s idea of “art as experience,” I propose an analysis of the philosophical framework of postmodern dance (Yvonne Rainer) and of Happenings (Allan Kaprow), in order to underline the theoretical and conceptual research that is already at work in the field of contemporary art practice, the latter being understood as a sensorial dimension intrinsically linked to ordinary life. My general argument is that gestures, which are an inescapable and vital part of everyday life, can be foregrounded by certain artistic practices without corrupting or theatricalizing their ordinariness.

Borrowed Words and Judicial Gestalt: A Dialogical Reading of Hirst, the ECtHR and Prisoner Voting Rights

Abstract This article suggests that judgments of the European Court of Human Rights exhibit a textual quality that Mikhail Bakhtin called dialogism, namely, a kind of discourse constituted by a plurality of mutually effecting and interpenetrated voices. Such compositional choice is not just a lengthy prolegomenon to any decision, nor an unnecessary appendix that could be safely eliminated; it is actually fundamental for the construction—and comprehension—of any ECtHR opinion. In this article, I will focus on the 2005 case of Hirst, in which the Grand Chamber declared that the UK legislative blanket ban on prisoner voting is incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights. As a controversial case about as-yet live-wire issues, Hirst can be shown to be a profoundly dialogized text despite all appearances to the contrary, which paves the way for a more general argument about the dialogical practice of adjudication by the Court.