One-sided Views Research Articles

The Order and Chaos in Human Relationships: Objective Grounds and the Ways of Harmonization

Purpose. This article aims to provide a philosophical analysis of disharmonious relations between people in society, to reveal the causes of existing conflicts and to find ways to reduce the manifestations of chaos in human relations. Theoretical basis of the article is socio-cultural anthropology, the principles of the unity of the historical and logical, the ascent from the abstract to the concrete, the unity of analysis and synthesis. To solve the tasks set, authors also used the principles of objectivity, systematicity, and comprehensive development. Originality. The article goes beyond one-sided views on the relationship between people in society, reveals the causes of existing conflicts from a philosophical perspective and searches for ways to reduce chaosogenic manifestations in society. It is assumed that chaos and order in human relations arise not only due to the contradictory interaction between the fundamental components of the Universe – matter and energy, but also due to a lack of understanding of the laws of information use. Therefore, without the discovery and rational use of the basic laws and principles governing the functioning of information in the Universe, it is impossible to overcome chaos in human relations. Conclusions. Given the profound impact of information on human relations, it is possible to help reduce the manifestations of chaos in human relationships. The proper handling of information, along with the rational use of matter and energy, is crucial for overcoming the current state of disharmony and creating a more favourable and orderly future for humanity. Thus, the vector of harmonisation of human relations lies in the plane of comprehensive knowledge of mass-energy and information processes occurring in the Universe, focusing not on subjective, ill-considered short-term goals, but submitting to them for consistent inclusion in these processes.

The Multifaceted Work of Christ: Herman Bavinck’s Doctrine of Atonement as Both Corrective and Retrieval

Abstract This essay examines Herman Bavinck’s doctrine of atonement within his treatment of Christ’s humiliation in volume three of his Reformed Dogmatics. Through an investigation of Bavinck’s critiques of key nineteenth century theologians and of Bavinck’s own constructive account of the atonement, I show that Bavinck intended his theology of Christ’s work to serve as a corrective to the dominant approach to the theology of the atonement in his day. Against what he considered one-sided views of Christ’s work, I argue that Bavinck sought to offer an account which emulates Scripture in its multifaceted character. This theology further sought to retrieve and build upon historical Christian theology, most notably that of Anselm and especially the Protestant Reformers, in its focus on Christ’s vicarious satisfaction as the central (though not only) concern of his redeeming action. This exploration of Bavinck’s doctrine of the atonement not only deepens our understanding of Bavinck’s theological method but has relevance for broader studies of nineteenth and early twentieth century conceptualizations of Christ’s person and work and shows Bavinck’s attractiveness for contemporary constructive approaches to the atonement.

Report on Participation in the 11th East Asia and Contemporary Japanese-Language Literature Forum

This year’s conference was held in Denpasar, Bali, after three years of online conferences since COVID-19 emerged in 2020. It was a precious and wonderful experience for researchers from various regions to gather together. The joy of sharing various research results and of further developing awareness of issues through discussions was great, and new encounters took place as we deepened our friendships over Balinese cuisine at the banquet. The special theme of this year’s conference was “Glocal Culture in Modern Asia and Intersectionality: Representation, Conflict, and Symbiosis,” which was based on the 8th conference’s theme of “Glocal Culture in Modern Asia: Identity, History, and Transformation,” with the key concept of “intersectionality” newly assimilated into that theme. Listening to the stimulating presentations on a wide range of research subjects and from a broad range of regions, I was reminded that the concept of “intersectionality” is necessary in order to theorize individual experience as a complex nexus of power and resistance, a phenomenon that cannot be captured by one-sided views or simple oppositional schemes. It was a meaningful conference, and I left with many homework assignments and perspectives to assimilate in order to further my own research.

Some Key Issues İn the Study of Central Asian History

This article highlights some current issues in the history of Central Asia. The research conducted today by historians of the Central Asian republics and the trends observed in them are analyzed. In the article, the history of kingdoms and states belonging to the same historical period in different republics is interpreted from different positions. The process of annexation of some states not established on their territories is interpreted as a history of invasion. Some scholars argue that their republican people were the main mover and master of history. These are one-sided views and the history of peoples living in the same geopolitical space must be covered impartially. In this article, the author proposes to write the history of the peoples of Central Asia together with scientists from neighboring countries.

The Karazin Family: A New Reading (To the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of V. N. Karazin)

The article, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Kharkiv Imperial University Vasyl Karazin, details little-known episodes of his life and traces the genealogy of the entire Karazin family. Based on a thorough study of archival materials, the author for the first time discusses not only the Bulgarian, but also Ukrainian, Greek, and Polish roots of the Karazin family, calling into question the one-sided views that have long dominated the literature on the subject (for example, regarding the alleged Greek roots of the founder of Kharkiv University). The author’s arguments and observations are rooted in the analysis of the records of the Department of Heraldry in the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg and personal papers of Nazar Karazin preserved in the Russian State Military Historical Archive. The article provides a wealth of biographical information on all members of the Karazin family, starting with Oleksandr Karazin, who settled in the lands of the Sloboda regiments and whom the author considers as the family’s founder. The biography of Vasyl Karazin’s father, Nazar Oleksandrovych, a colonel in the Russian army during the time of Catherine II, is explored in more detail. On the basis of archival records, the author describes in particular Nazar Karazin’s military and diplomatic service during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. New light is shed on the life of Vasyl Karazin’s grandson Mykola Mykolayovych Karazin, a well-known artist, member of the Russian Academy of the Arts, and writer, who left to posterity a diary and reports from the frontlines of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. These writings are published by the author of the article in a separate edition. Furthermore, research in the Russian State Naval Archive enables the author to flesh out little-known episodes of the life of one of the sons and another grandson of Vasyl Karazin – Filadelf senior and Filadelf junior, who served in the Russian Navy. The author has also discovered new facts from the lives of descendants of the Karazin family currently living in Ukraine and abroad.

Falling Prey to Bias? The Influence of Advisors on the Manifestation of Cognitive Biases in the Pre-M&A Phase of Organizations

Our study demonstrates that the pre-M&A phase provides breeding ground for irrational behavior in the form of cognitive biases. These biases not only arise within acquiring and acquired firms, but M&A advisors themselves are also prone to effort-saving techniques and subconscious biases, which may be reflected in the client’s M&A decision-making process. Cognitive biases stem from the contractual client–advisor relationship that elicits time pressure, standardization, and emotionality—that is, circumstances that favor the employment of effort-saving techniques. These biases lead to complex decisions based on the selective collection, framing and evaluation of data, the overestimation of one’s rationality, ability and deal likelihood, the illusion of control, and one-sided views. Such a biased evaluation of information is likely to induce the selection of a non-optimal target or acquirer or simply forcing a deal that should not be made in the first place. Hence, these cognitive biases can be seen as a source for consequent M&A failure. With the identification of cognitive biases and bias-fostering circumstances, our study allows for awareness and consequent mitigation of such blind spots, thereby improving decision-making processes in the pre-M&A phase via the introduction of “debiasing” strategies and the creation of favorable conditions for rational reasoning.

Emotion regulation in old and very old age.

Prominent life span theories have suggested that the ability to downregulate negative emotions remains stable or even increases well into old age. However, past evidence for continued growth during old age is mixed. In this laboratory study, 130 young old individuals (Mage = 66.72 years, SD = 1.03, range = 65 to 69 years, 48% female) and 59 very old individuals (Mage = 86.03 years, SD = 1.44, range = 83 to 89 years, 58% female) watched negative emotion evoking film clips under different emotion regulation instructions. Subjective feelings, cardiovascular reactions, and facial behavioral expressions were assessed in response to each film. Emotion regulation competence was operationalized as difference in the intensity of negative emotions during a trial with no regulation instruction versus three trials with regulation instruction, asking participants to engage in detached reappraisal, behavioral suppression, or positive reappraisal. In comparison to young old individuals, very old individuals were less able to regulate their self-reported negative feelings. These age-related deficits were partly associated with age differences in fluid cognitive abilities. Notably, however, emotion regulation deficits in very old individuals observed in self-reports of emotions were not evident at the levels of cardiovascular arousal and facial expressivity. Together this evidence speaks against one-sided views on emotional aging as uniform process of either growth or decline, even in old and very old age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Role Of Independent Media in Promoting Governance and Effective Policymaking Process In Pakistan

This paper investigates how anyone may shape policy by interacting with the media, politics, and decision-makers. Media are interwoven with democracy and symbolize it. The press informs the public and actors about current events. Individuals, institutions, and political leaders are affected by media groups. PEMRA'scensorship and control rules impede controlled media's performance. It gets more criticism because it is not affected by authorities, but it just promotes one-sided views. The study aims to analyze the role of independent media in promoting or preventing good governance. It helps reduce corruption and improve government efficiency as well as civil service. Publications like Panama and Paradise Leaks have effectively exposed corruption, criminality, and power abuse while holding governments accountable globally. Interests drove decisions in Pakistan's civic, feudal, and military domains. Media firms help shape policy. This interest-based approach to governance has failed most democracies. Personal interests have interrupted institutional processes.

“We are Propagandists for Democracy”: The Institute for Propaganda Analysis’ Pioneering Media Literacy Efforts to Fight Disinformation (1937–1942)

The Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA) advocated for “propaganda literacy” against the backdrop of rising nationalism before and during World War II (1937–1942). Through a historical analysis of unpublished archival papers, notes, correspondence, newspaper articles, and the Institute’s publications, this article shows how the IPA raised awareness and highlighted the need for information literacy during a time that precedes modern attempts to promote critical thinking and counter one-sided views. Supported by a network of public opinion scholars, educators, and editors, these anti-propaganda efforts gained momentum. Initially, the IPA’s monthly newsletter Propaganda Analysis and its educational programs, specialized leaflets, and publicity campaigns were received favorably by the public. But critics in government and the press attacked the IPA’s platform. By early 1942, the IPA could neither overcome its financial struggles nor thwart social and political pressures to cede its work, perceived as “un-American” in light of the US’s war mobilization.

Maritime Territorial Disputes and China’s Soft Power in East Asia

ABSTRACT Territorial disputes over the East and South China Sea have been an issue of growing policy concern in East Asia in recent years. These maritime territorial disputes, as the authors argue in this study, constitute a contextual factor undermining China’s soft power in East Asia. More specifically, this study quantitatively demonstrates that all else equal, citizens are less likely to take a positive view of China’s influence on their respective countries with maritime territorial disputes with China than in countries without such disputes with China. This key result suggests a clear international distributional implication of maritime territorial disputes overlooked in the existing literature on China’s soft power. This study cautions against one-sided views on a China’s soft power whether purely optimistic or skeptical, in contemporary political analyses.

A Qualitative Study on Experiences and Perspectives of Members of a Dutch Medical Research Ethics Committee

The aim of this research was to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives of individual members of a Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC) regarding their individual roles and possible tensions within and between these roles. We conducted a qualitative interview study among members of a large MREC, supplemented by a focus group meeting. Respondents distinguish five roles: protector, facilitator, educator, advisor and assessor. Central to the role of protector is securing valid informed consent and a proper risk-benefit analysis. The role of facilitator implies that respondents want to think along with and assist researchers in order to help medical science progress. As educators, the respondents want to raise ethical and methodological awareness of researchers. The role of advisor implies that respondents bring in their own expertise. The role of assessor points to contributing to the overall evaluation of the research proposal. Various tensions were identified within and between roles. Within the role of protector, a tension is experienced between paternalism and autonomy. Between the role of protector and facilitator tensions occur when the value of a study is questioned while risks and burdens for the subjects are negligible. Within the role of assessor, a tension is felt between the implicit nature of judgments and the need for more explicit formulations. Awareness of various roles and responsibilities may prevent one-sided views on MREC work, not only by members themselves, but also by researchers. Tensions within and between the roles require reflection by MREC members.

Companhias incômodas para Javé? Deusas no mundo do antigo Israel e arredores

O artigo oferece uma visão panorâmica das deusas atestadas no Sul do Levante, que está dentro do horizonte cultural da(s) antiga(s) religião(ões) israelita(s) e judaíta(s). Sua principal premissa é que antigos deuses e deusas refletem funções socialmente significativas, e que eles e elas foram concebidos e concebidas tanto em modelos sociomórficos quanto antropomórficos. Enquanto os modelos anteriores amplamente baseados nos registros bíblicos enfatizavam a excepcionalidade do deus de Israel, pesquisas mais recentes realocaram Javé dentro do contexto mais amplo das antigas sociedades e das tendências religiosas do Levante meridional. A evidência epigráfica e visual atualmente disponível aponta para a veneração de uma deusa Aserá ao lado de Javé, a principal divindade masculina no antigo (pré-exílico) Israel e Judá. Durante a segunda metade do primeiro milênio aEC, vários grupos de elite levaram Javé à uma postura cada vez mais hostil contra (sua) Aserá e outras deusas, um processo que deveria ser explicado pelos historia­dores em termos estritamente sócio-históricos. Isso resultou em várias visões exclusivistas, parciais e, muitas vezes, unilaterais da divindade, não apenas no que diz respeito a questões de gênero. Visões que depois judaísmo, cristianismo e islã foram frequentemente pressionados a compensar e que influenciaram profundamente a maneira como “Deus” é concebido e figurado no imaginário ocidental até hoje.

C. Wright Mills and the Cuban Revolution: An Exercise in the Art of Sociological Imagination

C. Wright Mills and the Cuban Revolution: An Exercise in the Art of Sociological Imagination

Computing controversy: Formal model and algorithms for detecting controversy on Wikipedia and in search queries

Controversy is a complex concept that has been attracting attention of scholars from diverse fields. In the era of Internet and social media, detecting controversy and controversial concepts by the means of automatic methods is especially important. Web searchers could be alerted when the contents they consume are controversial or when they attempt to acquire information on disputed topics. Presenting users with the indications and explanations of the controversy should offer them chance to see the “wider picture” rather than letting them obtain one-sided views. In this work we first introduce a formal model of controversy as the basis of computational approaches to detecting controversial concepts. Then we propose a classification based method for automatic detection of controversial articles and categories in Wikipedia. Next, we demonstrate how to use the obtained results for the estimation of the controversy level of search queries. The proposed method can be incorporated into search engines as a component responsible for detection of queries related to controversial topics. The method is independent of the search engine’s retrieval and search results recommendation algorithms, and is therefore unaffected by a possible filter bubble.Our approach can be also applied in Wikipedia or other knowledge bases for supporting the detection of controversy and content maintenance. Finally, we believe that our results could be useful for social science researchers for understanding the complex nature of controversy and in fostering their studies.

Reflections on two years after establishing an orthogeriatric unit: a focus group study of healthcare professionals\u2019 expectations and experiences

BackgroundFor decades hospitals have been “vertically” organized, with the risk that specialization leads to fragmented and one-sided views of patient care and treatment that may cause poor communication and coordination of care and treatment. Two years after the introduction of an orthogeriatric unit for elderly patients admitted with fragility fractures, we studied the involved healthcare professionals’ perspectives and experiences with working in an interprofessional organization.MethodsWe performed four focus groups interviews with 19 healthcare workers representing different professions. The interviews were analysed using systematic text condensation (STC).ResultsThree themes were identified: 1) A patient-centred approach, 2) An opportunity for professional growth and 3) The benefits of interprofessional collaboration. The interviewees emphasized in particular the systematic and frequent face-to-face communication enabled by the interprofessional team meetings as essential to their feeling of enhanced collegial solidarity. All groups expressed their respect for other groups’ competences and their vital contributions to good orthogeriatric care. However, collaboration was challenged by the groups’ divergent views of the patients and of the relevance of the information given in the weekly meetings. Heavy workloads were also mentioned. The opportunity for professional growth was also felt to be imperilled by some professionals.ConclusionsAll participants indicated their view that the orthogeriatric organization had improved the quality of care and treatment. Furthermore, good communication, mutual respect for other professional competences and shared goals were found to have enhanced interprofessional collaboration and improved the sense of having a shared mission. However, differences in approaches and expectations continued to challenge the orthogeriatric model after 2 years. Neither did all professionals find orthogeriatric care professionally challenging.

O modelo antropológico-médico de Barahona Fernandes e a psicopatologia

A obra de Barahona Fernandes mantém valor actual, respondendo às necessidades de uma psiquiatria clínica mais aprofundada, apetrechada para um conhecimento mais completo da pessoa doente e da doença psiquiatrica. Observar, ouvir e compreender a pessoa em sofrimento, apurar a psicopatologia e diagnosticar a doença na sua complexidade, requer um método e um conhecimento teórico e prático de domínios diferentes mas integrados. Para Barahona Fernandes há que proceder a uma cuidadosa análise do estado mental da pessoa enferma a par do conhecimento da história de vida e da personalidade na sua evolução. As tentações reducionistas, resultantes de visões unilaterais, que tomam a parte pelo todo, sejam psicológicas, psicanalíticas, sociológicas ou biológicas (neurocientíficas), levam a um conhecimento parcial e parcelar do ser humano perturbado e da sua doença

Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kūkai and Dōgen on the Art of Enlightenment by Pamela D. Winfield (review)

Reviewed by: Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kūkai and Dōgen on the Art of Enlightenment by Pamela D. Winfield Victor Forte (bio) Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kūkai and Dōgen on the Art of Enlightenment. By Pamela D. Winfield. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. 207. Paper $27.95, isbn 978-0-199-94555-9. The title of Pamela Winfield’s new monograph on Japanese Buddhism, Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kūkai and Dōgen on the Art of Enlightenment, may lead one to assume that the main purpose of her text is to contrast the centrality of images in Kūkai’s esoteric Buddhism with the radical iconoclasm evident in Dōgen’s approach to Zen. While this contrast is thoroughly examined by the author, Winfield also reveals important dimensions of both iconoclasm in Kūkai and the iconic in Dōgen. Throughout the volume, in fact, she both cites and creates pairs of opposing analytical categories in order to disclose important dissimilarities between the two founders while at the same time deconstructing these same categories and presenting a much-needed critical study of prevalent bifurcations found currently in the field of Japanese Buddhist studies. The challenge in taking on such a project is in recognizing exactly where the misrepresentations lie and how far one needs to extend a correction toward the opposing category. In analyzing several bifurcations, Winfield undertakes a weighty scholarly task, but succeeds in exposing and correcting a number of one-sided views in the field. In the introductory chapters, Winfield lays out the main purpose of her study, namely to examine the relation between the visual and the soteriological in Buddhist practice. She chooses to focus on Kūkai and Dōgen as representatives of Japanese schools of Buddhism because of their reputations regarding visual instruments. Kūkai appears to have great value for visual imagery in his notions of both practice and attainment, while Dōgen appears to reject such forms of mediation as impediments to realization. In constructing this comparison, Winfield argues that Icons and Iconoclasm provides a novel perspective given its interdisciplinary methodology of both art historical and textual studies. Indeed, the author proves to be quite at home in both fields in effectively bridging the “text-image gap” she finds plaguing contemporary academia. Winfield’s comparative paradigm is centered in the descriptive categories of “Unitive and Purgative Experience” (p. 6), where Kūkai identifies liberation with the unification of practitioner and deity (Dainichi Buddha) while Dōgen sees liberation as a purgative process as one evolves from affirmed self to negated self and to relational self. This paradigm also provides a space-time distinction; whereas Kūkai’s liberation occurs in unobstructed space, Dōgen’s occurs in unobstructed time. Supporting this model with a theory taken up in her introduction, Winfield turns to early studies in neuroscience concerned with brain activity during meditation. Citing the work of Eugene d’Acquili and Andrew Newburg from the University of Pennsylvania, [End Page 647] she finds Newburg’s categories of active and passive meditation useful in explaining the liberation experiences described by Kūkai and Dōgen. Although the researchers were originally working with Christian practitioners when identifying the active form, Winfield applies their descriptions to Shingon practice. By focusing one’s attention on an esoteric image, certain regions of the brain are stimulated so that one loses a sense of the body while, at the same time, merging with the image. In zazen, as a form of passive meditation, the brain may reach a state where the practitioner will abruptly experience selflessness, what Dōgen may have been describing in his claim of “casting off body and mind.” Although this work provides an interesting, yet highly reductive, explanation of possible differences in Buddhist soteriologies, Winfield also points out that the researchers prioritized passive meditation over active, resulting in what she sees as “an implicit bias against imagistic meditation experience” (p. 10). She traces this one-sided privileging of formless states in Western scholarship to the early influences of D. T. Suzuki and Protestant iconoclasm, and points out that such states in esoteric Buddhism...

Martin Luther: ‘Confessional’ Theologian

The contemporary fame of Martin Luther (1483-1546) rested at least as much on his popular devotional writings as on his public defiance of Pope and Emperor. By re-considering his early struggles and later work in the light of this reputation, he emerges more clearly as a ‘confessional’ theologian, that is, a theologian of the confessional and of spiritual direction. It is argued that this approach provides a healthy corrective to some one-sided views of Luther, and offers a useful complementary approach in its own right for biography and historical theology.

Op soek na ’n gebalanseerde beeld van H.F. Verwoerd

Towards a balanced view of H.F. Verwoerd. Doctor H.F. Verwoerd is possibly the most controversial political figure in South African history. In life he was revered by his followers, but even critics acknowledged his stature. Today he is mostly depicted as a brutal symbol of racial suppression. This article first gives insight into various, contradictory views expressed in the press on Verwoerd during his life, immediately after his death and in recent years. This is discussed in view of some media-theoretical perspectives. It is followed by an overview of views expressed on Verwoerd in literature, including recent works by eminent historian Hermann Giliomee. Against this background of diverse and sometimes one-sided views, J.J. (Ponti) Venter’s analysis of Verwoerdian thought, as published in a 1999 issue of Koers – Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, is presented as an example of a balanced intellectual contribution to an ongoing debate. It is argued that Venter’s contribution was important as it provides incisive criticism of Verwoerd not found elsewhere. Venter’s article, which was based on texts of speeches, however lacks some context. This is provided by other publications and press coverage. It is suggested that no assessment of an important historical figure is ever definitive, least so by consulting only the press. As is the case with Verwoerd, contemporaneous press coverage needs to be supplemented by solid research on the subject. In particular the sober analysis of public intellectuals such as J.J. Venter is needed and should be included in assesments of Verwoerd.

’n Lied moet klink om gehoor te word ... : Faktore wat die resepsie van kerkliedere kan beïnvloed

A hymn must be sung to be heard ... : Aspects that could influence the reception of hymns and psalms. The most recent official hymnal in Afrikaans, Liedboek van die Kerk, was taken into use in 2001. Some hymns and psalms were immediately sung with enthusiasm whereas others remained unused, which is true especially for many of the metrical psalms. The most prominent reason for not singing some hymns or psalms is that they are unknown – text as well as tune. It is, however, often assumed that the reason why hymns and psalms are unknown is primarily because their tunes would be too difficult to sing. The role of the text and other aspects are not taken into account sufficiently. In this article, these one-sided views regarding the tunes are challenged, and it is argued that there could be many other reasons why hymns and psalms are not used.