Universal Civilization Research Articles

Cause-specific mortality in Africa and Asia: evidence from INDEPTH health and demographic surveillance system sites

Background Because most deaths in Africa and Asia are not well documented, estimates of mortality are often made using scanty data. The INDEPTH Network works to alleviate this problem by collating detailed individual data from defined Health and Demographic Surveillance sites. By registering all deaths over time and carrying out verbal autopsies to determine cause of death across many such sites, using standardised methods, the Network seeks to generate population-based mortality statistics that are not otherwise available. Objective To build a large standardised mortality database from African and Asian sites, detailing the relevant methods, and use it to describe cause-specific mortality patterns. Design Individual demographic and verbal autopsy (VA) data from 22 INDEPTH sites were collated into a standardised database. The INDEPTH 2013 population was used for standardisation. The WHO 2012 VA standard and the InterVA-4 model were used for assigning cause of death. Results A total of 111,910 deaths occurring over 12,204,043 person-years (accumulated between 1992 and 2012) were registered across the 22 sites, and for 98,429 of these deaths (88.0%) verbal autopsies were successfully completed. There was considerable variation in all-cause mortality between sites, with most of the differences being accounted for by variations in infectious causes as a proportion of all deaths. Conclusions This dataset documents individual deaths across Africa and Asia in a standardised way, and on an unprecedented scale. While INDEPTH sites are not constructed to constitute a representative sample, and VA may not be the ideal method of determining cause of death, nevertheless these findings represent detailed mortality patterns for parts of the world that are severely under-served in terms of measuring mortality. Further papers explore details of mortality patterns among children and specifically for NCDs, external causes, pregnancy-related mortality, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. Comparisons will also be made where possible with other findings on mortality in the same regions. Findings presented here and in accompanying papers support the need for continued work towards much wider implementation of universal civil registration of deaths by cause on a worldwide basis.

‘The West and the Rest’: A Civilizational Mantra in Arms Control and Disarmament?

This article attempts to reflect on arms control and disarmament as a civilizational practice. The provocation for this undertaking can be traced back to the growing popularity of civilization discourses. The article highlights the paradoxical tension within these discourses with, on the one hand, their proclamations of inter-civilizational conflicts based on failure to regulate and prohibit the proliferation of weapons and, on the other hand, the teleological drive towards building a universal civilization of modernity. It critiques these discourses with the help of critical security studies and postcolonial insights into the problematique of civilization that seeks to universalize that which stabilizes and asserts the military superiority of the West while marginalizing the efforts of ‘the Rest’ demanding equality and justice in practices of arms control and disarmament. The article then uses representative historical narratives to demonstrate the historical continuity between practices of discrimination and exclusion that persist from the late 19th century to the present with regard to weapons regulation and prohibition. Contemporary efforts to acknowledge and addresses the entrenched biases in the practices of arms control and disarmament are discussed to explicate their possibilities and limitations. The purpose is to bring centre-stage the human suffering experienced by the West and the Rest in practices of arms control and disarmament. It is only by confronting the multitudinous affects through a post-civilization approach that the reiterated bravado of civilization can be questioned and an empathetic and sincere approach towards addressing the problem of weapons regulation and prohibition can be cultivated.

Hermeneutics and Critique from a Liberation Ethics Perspective

This article merely refers to some fundamental theses developed by the author already in his book Ethics of Liberation: In the Age of Globalization and Exclusion (Durham: Duke University Press, 2013). The strategy of the argument takes the following path: First, it begins with some reflections by Paul Ricoeur about universal civilization and its particular cultures; second, it summarizes a non-eurocentric historical perspective that is pertinent to the Modern Globalizing System; third, it describes the asymmetrical location of the "participants" which resulted from the violent process of inclusion in the World System; forth, it points out to certain aspects through which one can see ethical and critical demands within the horizon of globalization; fifth, in conclusion the author suggests some relevant topics for future discussions.

THE Ĝ INFRARED SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATIONS WITH LARGE ENERGY SUPPLIES. II. FRAMEWORK, STRATEGY, AND FIRST RESULT

We describe the framework and strategy of the \^G infrared search for extraterrestrial civilizations with large energy supplies, which will use the wide-field infrared surveys of WISE and Spitzer to search for these civilizations' waste heat. We develop a formalism for translating mid-infrared photometry into quantitative upper limits on extraterrestrial energy supplies. We discuss the likely sources of false positives, how dust can and will contaminate our search, and prospects for distinguishing dust from alien waste heat. We argue that galaxy-spanning civilizations may be easier to distinguish from natural sources than circumstellar civilizations (i.e., Dyson spheres), although Gaia will significantly improve our capability to identify the latter. We present a "zeroth order" null result of our search based on the WISE all-sky catalog: we show, for the first time, that Kardashev Type III civilizations (as Kardashev originally defined them) are very rare in the local universe. More sophisticated searches can extend our methodology to smaller waste heat luminosities, and potentially entirely rule out (or detect) both Kardashev Type III civilizations and new physics that allows for unlimited "free" energy generation.

THE ALIEN TORT STATUTE AFTER KIOBEL: THE POSSIBILITY FOR UNLAWFUL ASSERTIONS OF UNIVERSAL CIVIL JURISDICITON STILL REMAINS

AbstractThe jurisdictional reach of causes of action brought under the Alien Tort Statute 17891 (ATS) was considered by the Supreme Court of the United States in Kiobel v Royal Dutch Petroleum.2 The claimants in this decision sought to bring an action before a US District Court asserting universal civil jurisdiction over the conduct of foreign corporations performed against non-US nationals in the territory of a foreign State. Although the Supreme Court dismissed the particular claim on the basis of a domestic canon of statutory interpretation (the presumption against extraterritoriality), the narrowness of its reasoning left open the possibility for actions to continue being brought under the ATS which assert universal civil jurisdiction over the harm caused by individuals rather than corporations. Moreover, this position was specifically endorsed by a four-member minority of the Supreme Court in the Concurring Opinion of Justice Breyer. This paper argues that the reasoning of Justice Breyer is unconvincing and goes on to suggest that assertions of civil jurisdiction made under the universal principle are unlawful in international law as they fail to find a legal basis in either customary or conventional international law.

Vers un nouvel humanisme : la perspective africaine

Towards a new humanism: the African perspective – The new integrated holistic humanism is a construct based on a number of frameworks with shared foundations. This article is dedicated to the African perspective, which is simply Africa’s contribution to a universal civilisation based on humanistic values that are preserved and constantly rediscovered. The central hypothesis is one of fusion and cross-fertilisation which have followed a variety of paths. The first stage is that of affirming and reclaiming the black identity, and the second is the melding of cultural identities embodied in pan-Africanism, which is itself a bridge to pan-humanism. Both are the result of contact with western civilisation and culture through the medium of colonialism, as a form of domination, assimilation or subordination. They are marked by this proximity, and demand more detailed and endogenous reflection that incorporates precolonial secular values and practices. This is the premise on which the African renaissance is built, and each of its currents has its own ideologues, poets, eulogists and political champions. This analysis indicates that no specific national culture or civilisation can be regarded as the benchmark of human being and becoming, even though everyone is entitled to affirm their specific contribution and perspective.

The Implications of the Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Case for the Exercise of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

In the last few decades the Alien Tort Statute has proven a useful tool in the struggle to impose legal obligations on transnational corporations conducting their activities in developing countries. However, its usefulness has recently been significantly reduced, as its application to conduct occurring outside of the United States has been seriously challenged by the Supreme Court decision in the Kiobel case. This decision was founded on the basis of the presumption against extraterritoriality; a U.S. law provision which entails that domestic legislation does not normally apply outside of the United States' territory. This article argues that the principles of international law, rather than the presumption against extraterritoriality, would have constituted better guidance for assessing the legitimacy of the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction. It contends that based on these principles, the exercise of extraterritorial civil jurisdiction is legitimate when the alleged perpetrator is an American national. In addition, even where both parties are foreign, universal civil jurisdiction can be legitimately exercised when the alleged perpetrator is present on U.S. territory, provided it is limited to the same category of particularly heinous crimes of universal concern as those giving rise to universal criminal jurisdiction.

A Critical Assessment of Legal Identity: What It Promises and What It Delivers

Universal provision of legal identity, most commonly birth registration, is viewed as both an intrinsic human right and an instrumental development necessity. Legal identity is commonly associated with citizen access to certain benefits and opportunities, protection of human rights, and generation of vital statistics to inform development planning. Research conducted in Nepal, Cambodia, and Bangladesh demonstrates that significant obstacles to obtaining legal identity include financial and procedural barriers, discriminatory laws and policies, institutional incapacity, and citizens’ lack of knowledge and motivation. Robust alternative markets for legal identity reveal the true public demand for identity documents. In the developing country context, the provision of legal identity alone does not necessarily deliver desired development outcomes. Thus, universal civil registration is a necessary and worthy goal, but focus should remain on the ultimate development goals behind universal registration.

Amicus Brief Before the US Supreme Court on the Non-Extraterritoriality of the Alien Tort Statute

question presented for re-argument is whether and under what circumstances the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), 28 U.S.C. 1350, allows courts to recognize a cause of action for violations of the law of nations occurring within the territory of a sovereign other than the United That provision states: The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action by an alien for a tort only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States. Amicus argues that that no cause of action shall be recognized for violations of the law of nations occurring within the territory of a sovereign other than the United States because the ATS must be interpreted under the presumption against extraterritoriality as having no application beyond the borders of the United evidence presented by Petitioners to show clear congressional intent for extraterritoriality is unpersuasive. In particular, their argument based on the express geographical limitation in other clauses in § 9 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 would turn the default geographical scope for the application of a United States statute and the presumption against extraterritoriality upside down and treat the entire world as that default scope. However, the proper default scope is the territory of the United Amicus further argues that if the ATS applies extraterritorially to a violation occurring within the territory of a foreign sovereign, it should be interpreted as having incorporated the entire bundle of international law norms with respect to that particular violation, substantive, remedial and jurisdictional and the recognition of a cause of action under the ATS must meet the requirements from that bundle of norms. Applying these conditions, no cause of action shall be recognized for corporate liability because international law does not recognize corporate liability for torts for violations of customary international law and because any such alleged international law norm does not meet the Sosa clear definition requirement. Similarly no cause of action shall be recognized for violations with which the United States has no direct and substantial connection because ATS jurisdiction cannot be exercised over them. Furthermore, ATS Jurisdiction cannot be built upon universal jurisdiction since international law recognizes neither universal criminal jurisdiction except over piracy nor universal civil jurisdiction. Finally, ATS jurisdiction cannot be built upon the transitory tort doctrine because it is a peculiarly special doctrine having no general applicability and is contrary to international law.

Number of Galactic Civilizations

A probabilistic assessment is made to determine the likely range of galactic civilizations. In order to define the possible number of advanced galactic civilizations, the number of habitable planets is being determined with the help of a newly formulated probability equation. This equation is expressing the number of habitable planets in terms of the as- sumed galaxy size, the number of critical habitability criteria and the star and planet compliance rates with these criteria. For effectiveness the equation uses instead of the individual compliance rates with the various habitability criteria the geometric mean of the compliance rates with the criteria. This simplifies the calculational approach considerably and makes it possible to obtain the necessary data to assess the extent of galactic habitability. These data are included in a Ga- lactic Habitability Table which presents in this way a complete overview of galactic habitability of a given galaxy as a function of the number of critical criteria and the mean compliance rate with these criteria. While no scientific certainty exists at present time for the exact values of these two parameters, zones of high probability can already be assessed. For any number of habitability criteria assumed a minimum star and planet compliance ratio can be determined which is re- quired for the existence of advanced civilizations in a galaxy of any given size. As the next step the issue of concurrent communicating civilizations has also been addressed.

TheParthenonMarbles as icons of nationalism in nineteenth‐centuryBritain

AbstractTheories of nationalism place native culture at the core of national self‐fashioning. What explains a state's adoption of foreign objects to sustain national identity? In this paper,Iargue that the incorporation of theParthenonMarbles intoBritish public life is an early example of supranational nationalism. The nineteenth‐century ‘art race’ was a competitive field in whichEuropean nation‐states vied for prestige. Of the thousands of art trophies that were brought toBritain fromMediterranean andNorthAfrican countries, theParthenonMarbles were uniquely iconicised. Using data from period newspapers and official documents,Iassert that this was because they were assiduously presented asprenational byBritish authorities. In this way, they belonged simultaneously to no nation, to every nation, and toBritain. The case demonstrates the emergence of a particular form of national distinctiveness that transcended the smallness of particularity and rose to the level of universal civilisation.

Information-driven societies and Fermi's paradox

AbstractFermi's paradox is founded on the idea that one or more Galactic extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs) existed long ago and sustained exploration for millions of years, but in spite of their advanced knowledge, they could not find a way to explore the Galaxy other than with fleets of starships or self replicating probes. Here, I question this second assumption: if advanced technology generally allows long-distance remote sensing, and if ETCs were motivated by gaining information rather than conquest or commerce, then such voyages would be unnecessary, thereby resolving Fermi's paradox.

A 1.1-1.9 GHz SETI SURVEY OF THEKEPLERFIELD. I. A SEARCH FOR NARROW-BAND EMISSION FROM SELECT TARGETS

We present a targeted search for narrow-band (< 5 Hz) drifting sinusoidal radio emission from 86 stars in the Kepler field hosting confirmed or candidate exoplanets. Radio emission less than 5 Hz in spectral extent is currently known to only arise from artificial sources. The stars searched were chosen based on the properties of their putative exoplanets, including stars hosting candidates with 380 K > T_eq > 230 K, stars with 5 or more detected candidates or stars with a super-Earth (R_p < 3 R_earth) in a > 50 day orbit. Baseband voltage data across the entire band between 1.1 and 1.9 GHz were recorded at the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope between Feb--Apr 2011 and subsequently searched offline. No signals of extraterrestrial origin were found. We estimate that fewer than ~1% of transiting exoplanet systems host technological civilizations that are radio loud in narrow-band emission between 1-2 GHz at an equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of ~1.5 x 10^21 erg s^-1, approximately eight times the peak EIRP of the Arecibo Planetary Radar, and we limit the the number of 1-2 GHz narrow-band-radio-loud Kardashev type II civilizations in the Milky Way to be < 10^-6 M_solar^-1. Here we describe our observations, data reduction procedures and results.

ANALYSIS OF IRANIAN TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE THROUGH THE LENS OF KENNETH FRAMPTON’S “CRITICAL REGIONALISM”

The fundamental strategy of Critical Regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place. This study presents some significant patterns and aspects of Iranian Traditional Architecture and examine them through the lens of Kenneth Frampton’s Critical Regionalism, to find that whether these attitudes-KF’s six points-have been completely considered in Iranian traditional architecture, even though hundreds of years before the presentation of KF’s critical essay. It seeks an integration between Frampton’s critical points and Iranian ancient built form which including physical features such as climate, topography, light and Iranian cultural characteristics such as traditional urban pattern and architectural prototype. This study also endeavours to demonstrate that Regionalism and sustainability could be inspiration behind this architecture. To put this into practice, first, Frampton’s Critical Regionalism is presented in depth. The six points of critical regionalism as he defined it are reviewed and distilled into five categories that are used to guide the analysis of the specifications of Iranian traditional architecture. These specification and patterns are then used as the foundation for specific recommendations for Iranian contemporary architectural.

Kiobel's Broader Significance: Implications for International Legal Theory

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. has ushered in a new era for human rights enforcement. Unanimously, the Court ended so–called foreigncubed human rights cases, that is, litigation where foreign plaintiffs sue foreign defendants for activity occurring abroad. The broadest form of universal civil jurisdiction that the Second Circuit's decision in Filártiga v.Pena–Irala once appeared to promise is over. Alien Tort Statute (ATS) litigation, while not foreclosed, has become more limited.

Redefining the Subject Matter and Methodology of Comparative Literature in an Age of Globalization

The paper explores ways of redefining the subject matter and methodology of comparative literature in harmony with the tremendous cultural and ideological changes in the age of globalization. In this age of globalization, I would argue, comparative literature maintains a unique place from which effective means of human reconciliation, co-existence, and cross-cultural mutual understanding, may be offered. This is mainly a byproduct of the cultural turn which characterizes comparative literature in an age of globalization. In these terms comparative literature may be geared towards highlighting cross- cultural human commonalities, and yet recognizing different peoples' diversities and unique mores and values which could be viewed as distinct components of a universal civilization as it is reflected in world literature – the raw material of comparative literature. Through the study of world literature as a cultural phenomenon in its national perspectives and its international contexts (a practice which lies at the heart of the comparatist inquiry) the reader will be able to grasp the experiences of man in all their diversity and their common human values and cultural codes. This undertaking is bound to draw the world closer together in an age of endless ideological, cultural, civilizational, and political conflicts .The widening of the scope and the expanding of the territories of comparative literature to accommodate the newly defined mission of the discipline may pave the way to produce a concept of global citizenship based on broad human affiliations and common core human values in the new millennium which is marked with the evolving spirit of globalized consciousness. This supports a long-held conviction by proponents of comparative literature that the practice of the discipline contributes to enhancing intellectual liberalism which brings with it an attitude of sympathy and understanding among human beings across national, cultural, and civilizational boundaries..

Introduction

In this series of articles, the role of universal civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems is examined as an essential tool for good governance and inclusive development. Fully functional CRVS systems generate valuable data and contribute to strengthened administrative systems and improved service delivery. Ultimately, CRVS systems furnish the administrative backbone for sustainable and inclusive development and are fundamental to the realization of human rights and the efficient provision of social protection.

A development imperative: civil registration and vital statistics systems in the Asia-Pacific region

In this series of articles, the role of universal civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems is examined as an essential tool for good governance and inclusive development. Fully functional CRVS systems generate valuable data and contribute to strengthened administrative systems and improved service delivery. Ultimately, CRVS systems furnish the administrative backbone for sustainable and inclusive development and are fundamental to the realization of human rights and the efficient provision of social protection.

Don't Touch that Dial! You Don't Know What You are Doing - Contractions in the Birth of a New World Order

Practical Procedural Focus: First world parent corporations create thinly capitalized third world subsidiary corporations and outsource to sub-contractors in order to externalize costs of doing business (pollution, accidents, defective products) onto third world populations. When and how may first world courts attribute liability to main-offices for the extraterritorial torts of their subsidiaries? Substantive Law Exposed: Laws in the EU and Member States which are similar to the U.S. Alien Tort Statute (e.g., Brussels Regulation I) and the U.S. Torture Victims Protection Act (e.g. Convention Against Torture). Synopsis: Universal civil jurisdiction is lawful under international law because States may do all things within their powers which are not prohibited by their treaty obligations or customary law to which they have not persistently objected ab initio. International law (CAT) and EU law (Brussels Regulation) as well as contemporary Romanist law (Actio Popularis, action civile, Adhasionsverfahren) permit civil claims for violations of various jus cogens rules. Describes the rise of private enforcement of individual human rights under international law. International human rights, initially purely hortatory norms, which were applicable - if at all - only to states have since become binding rules of international law which often entail private law claims, whether through direct effect or indirect horizontal (third party) effect (Drittwirkung). Contextualizes human rights rise as a needed reaction to the abuse of human rights as cause and pretext for war under the pre-war system of only mediate enforcement by states (usually through diplomatic protection and self help remedies). Describes currently valid rules of national, E.U., and public international law (C.A.T.) which entail, or can entail, private law enforcement of human rights. Reiterates the black letter U.S. common law of procedural defenses to extraterritorial jurisdiction and the rules U.S. common law rules of piercing the corporate veil.

비평적 지역주의(The Critical Regionalism)로 본 한국 성당건축의 지역성 표현 - 개화기에서 1980년대까지의 성당건축을 중심으로 -

The core idea of the critical regionalism could be summarized as a self-conscious synthesis between universal civilization and world culture. After World War II, it has been applied to architecture for overcoming the problem of Industrial Capitalism and uniformity of 20th century Modern Architecture. Naturally, religious architecture cannot also be an exception in this cultural trend, thus we can also apply the critical regionalism to the Korean Catholic Church Architecture with the basic premise that the Traditional Western and Modern Style Church Architecture should be regarded as universal civilization, and the Traditional Korean Architecture and endemicity as one of world culture. In the context, this article attempts to analyze the regionality of Korean Modern Catholic Church Architecture constructed between the 19th century and 1980's, and how it has been differently transformed with the view of the critical regionalism. Its analysis will be carried out within three types; transformation of the Traditional Korean Architecture and the influence of Japanese Modern Architecture, representation of the Traditional Korean Architecture, and abstraction of the Traditional Korean Architecture with each advantages and disadvantages.