Quaker Research Articles

"afermo quanto di sopra con mio giuramento" : dvanáct benátských malířů osvědčuje v roce 1714 pravost obrazů

The article publishes an interesting cultural and historical document, a list one hundred paintings by Italian, Dutch and German artists from the 15th to the 17th centuries, compiled in the autumn of 1714 by twelve Venetian painters, mostly members of the local Collegio dei Pittori. This notarized certificate (today at the Archive of the National Gallery in Prague), in which they confirmed with their signatures the authenticity of the pictures under assessment and the authenticity of their authorship as declared, was donated in 1934 to the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art, predecessor of the National Gallery in Prague, by collector Joe Hloucha (1881–1957). However, its earlier provenance has yet to be determined. The introductory text sheds light on the emergence of similar experts' reports, which in Venice were a necessary precondition for the trade in Old Masters paintings. At the same time, it seeks to present the personalities of well-known but now more or less forgotten painters who compiled the certificate, bringing us closer to the authorial, thematic and genre mix of the picture collection, and last but not least to indicate the possible identification of some of the works of art recorded in the listing.

The Worlds of William Penn

The Worlds of William Penn

Oddział Polskiego Towarzystwa Historycznego w Wilnie (1925–1939)

After regaining independence, historians associated in scientific societies operating in the partitioned regions faced the challenge of their reorganization. It was the Historical Society, established in Lviv in 1886, which was the most important of these, above all bringing together all representatives of Klio. The adoption of a new statute by the Historical Society in 1924 and the changing the name into the Polish Historical Society, not only led to the unification of the institution, giving it a nation-wide character, but also regulated the principles of establishing branch offices. One of them, focused around the reactivated Stefan Batory University, was the branch of Polish Historical Society in Vilnius. The characteristics of its activities allow us to define the role that the Vilnius community played in the dissemination of knowledge, as well as to define the place and its rank in the structure of the Society. In the interwar period, the branch of the Polish Historical Society in Vilnius did not show much scientific activity. The focus was almost exclusively on the implementation of the statutory objectives, which was manifested in the organization of scientific meetings and participation in the General Meetings of Polish Historians, of which the most important for the local community was the Congress in Vilnius organized in 1935. Locally, the Society of Friends of Sciences in Vilnius, operating from 1907, enjoyed greater popularity, involving both the university community and local archivists, as well as librarians and history enthusiasts.

Partnerstwo publiczno-społeczne. Współpraca Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Warszawy z Muzeum Historycznym m.st. Warszawy w latach 1963−2002

By the end of the 1960s, cooperation between museums and associations could be noticed in Poland, today we would call it a model public-social partnership. An example of this is the cooperation between the Society of Friends of Warsaw (TPW) and the Historical Museum of the Capital City of Warsaw, which took place from 1963 and lasted uninterrupted for many years, even after the death of prof. Stanisław Lorentz, director of the National Museum in Warsaw, co-founder and first president of TPW. The result of this cooperation was cultural, research and educational activity. In the field of this cooperation, a branch of the Historical Museum of the Capital City of Warsaw − the Museum of Wola - was founded. The establishment of this facility was initiated by the members of the Wola branch of TPW. Another cultural event organized in cooperation between the museum and the association was the organization of not only collector's exhibitions, but also the holding of symposia, scientific sessions and lectures. From the very beginning, one of the basic tasks of the museum and the goals of the Society of Friends of Warsaw was to spread knowledge about Warsaw's turbulent past. This article presents the undertaken and implemented projects in a chronological manner, finding a common space of activity so as to consolidate the community of Warsaw historians, art historians, museologists, Varsovianists and collectors. Cooperation in the public and social field contributed to the enrichment of the cultural offer in the city, thanks to which the majority of residents and tourists visiting the capital could take advantage of it. Cooperation between TPW and the Historical Museum of the Capital City of Warsaw developed significantly and went beyond the city. Museum employees and social activists from TPW passed on to the next generations knowledge about the material and non-material heritage of the capital. To this day, many exhibits made available for exhibitions by private persons remain in the collections The Museum of Warsaw.

ІСТОРІЯ ПОЛЬСЬКО-УКРАЇНСЬКОГО ПОГРАНИЧЧЯ ЯК ІМПЕРАТИВ ТВОРЧОСТІ ЛІТЕРАТУРНОЇ ГРУПИ “ЗЕВОНІЯ”

The article highlights the historical motives and inspirations of the literary group “Ziewonia”. Attention is drawn to the influence of the historical era (the period of the November Uprising of the Poles and being under Russian oppression), as well as previous milestones in Polish and Ukrainian history, which were signposts to national liberation. The peculiarities of the development of Ukrainophilism within the general Slavophilism of the first half of the 19th century are taken into account. The place of the scientific concept of Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski on the transformation of the historical approach to the reception of Slavic literature in general, and Polish and Ukrainian in particular, is determined. In addition to the influence of famous historians, it is also worth highlighting the extraordinary role of the Society of Friends of Science in Lviv. It was from there that ideas about the transformation of historical models came in order to revive the people’s struggle and patriotic sentiments in society. Along with chronicle historicism and Walterscottism, the writers of the “Ziewonia” group in their works highlight the principles of folk historicism, which is largely based on Ukrainian folklore. Song folk images and plots, historical events from Dum are the basis of most of the poetic works of representatives of the “Ziewonia” group. Some of them have clearly expressed anti-Ottoman motives. Thus, Seweryn Goszczyński’s work “Kościelisko” was written in the spirit of folk historicism, as it depicts the struggle of the inhabitants of the Carpathian region against the Tatar army. The presence of a common enemy among the Ukrainian and Polish peoples from previous centuries is transferred to the first half of the 19th century, when such an enemy was the Russian Empire and other imperialist conquering states. Therefore, inspirations of national liberation can be found everywhere in the poetry, prose and drama of “Ziewonia”. The key in historical inspiration was the image of a folk hero or a Cossack. Slavophilic writers successfully put into practice the program principle of “Ziewonia” dedicated to history, in particular literary and critical reflections on the place of Galician writing.

“Their Deeds Shall Be Made Manifest”: The Scandalous Mission of Joseph W. Clements to Great Britain, 1848–1851

“Their Deeds Shall Be Made Manifest”: The Scandalous Mission of Joseph W. Clements to Great Britain, 1848–1851

T.Morton’s hyposubject as a new image of human

The article examines the articles of T.Morton and highlights the main points that set the tone of his philosophy. Morton does not explicitly stand out his full anthropological position, but on the basis of the central themes of his philosophy, the concept of human is recreated. The sources used were the articles “Ecology without nature” and “Queer-ecology”, as well as the books “Being ecological”, “Ecological thought”, “Hyposubjects about the becoming of human”. This approach has not yet been implemented in the Russian-language philosophical literature in relation to the selected source. In Russian-language articles, as a rule, one can find the development of T.Morton’s ideas, unrelated to anthropological topics, for example, a collection of the Dark Logos dedicated to dark ecology. Despite this, the anthropological analysis is particularly interesting, since environmental topic is associated not only with environmental problems, but also with social processes and questions about human as such. F.Guattari in his book Three Ecologies noted that the ecological imbalance and increased interest in this topic will lead to the change in everyday life, collectivity, and, most importantly, a new type of subjectivity. On the basis of this material, an analysis of the new subjectivity characteristic of human in an environmentally friendly society was carried out. Using the philosophical and anthropological approach, typical of the philosophy of I.Kant, the author also comes to the conclusion not only about the anti-anthropocentricity of T.Morton’s philosophy, but also about the anti-anthropological nature of his project, since Morton, according to the European tradition, recognizes “human’s death” and works in two directions: it anthropomorphizes existence and animalizes a human.

Развитие советско-японских литературных связей во второй половине 1940-х – первой половине 1980-х годов

Relevance. The literature of Russia had a significant impact on the culture of Japan, allowing the Japanese reader to get in touch with the secret of the Russian soul. The study of Soviet-Japanese literary ties makes it possible to identify the ideological foundations of nations that bring them together. Literary interaction between Japan and the USSR in the post-war period was traced by researchers in fragments. At the moment, it is necessary, using archival documents, as well as Japanese periodicals, for the first time introduced into scientific circulation, to turn to the study of Soviet-Japanese literary relations in the post-war decades. The purpose of the study is to determine the forms of mutual penetration of Japanese and Russian literary cre-ativity in the 1940-1980s. Objectives: to reveal the contribution of the subjects of literary interaction to the development of Soviet-Japanese literary ties, to study the mechanism of literary interaction between the influence of two cultures. Methodology. The comparative-historical and chronological methods were used in the work. Results. In the study we talk about Japanese literary movements and public organizations, the contribution of Japan’s friendship societies to the development of literary ties between Russia and Japan. The article also explores the actions of American occupation authorities preventing the spread of Russian and Soviet literature in Japan in the early post World War II years. Furthermore, we trace the activity of the Japanese public who attempted to overcome the obstacles, consolidate and unite efforts for the cultural cooperation with the USSR. The author highlights the contribution of the Japan’s private press to the spread of Russian literature. Conclusion. The predominant forms of mutual penetration of Japanese and Russian literature were the translation of works of literature of one country into the language of another people, as well as the perception and reproduction in the literary work of writers of one people, ideas and meanings of texts by authors of another culture. The ideas embodied in the works of Russian classical literature often met with understanding in the souls of Japanese readers. This fact is demonstrated by theatrical performances of plays by Russian writers and the reaction of the Japanese audience to them. Thus, the literary ties between the two countries gave rise to interaction in the field of theater and other areas, contributing to the proximity and closer contact between the two cultures.

The First Soviet Delegation to the People’s Republic of China (September — November, 1949)

The article for the first time goes into details of the activities of the members of the first Soviet delegation of scientific, cultural and artistic figures who visited the People’s Republic of China from September, 27, to November, 3, 1949. The delegation headed by A.A. Fadeyev included prominent Soviet scholars, writers, Stalin Prize winners and a group of performers. The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate the Soviet Union’s friendship and support, to get acquainted with the situation in the sphere of the Chinese culture and to figure out possible areas of future bilateral cultural cooperation. The article shows the importance of using a source, such as written reports of Soviet and Chinese origin, to deepen historical research. The documents demonstrate extraordinary warm and enthusiastic atmosphere in which the Soviet delegation found itself, whether on the October, 1 on the Tiananmen Square, or the Congress for Peace, the founding conference of the China-Soviet Friendship Society (CSFS), numerous meetings with workers, peasants, intellectuals, students. The archival documents, analyzed by the author, provided an overview of the delegation’s program, the content of the speeches of the members of the delegation at mass meetings, thematic meetings and lectures for specialists. All the above has helped to find out items for cooperation with the new-born Chinese state and public organizations in the field of culture. The author comes to a conclusion that the productive discussions held in China resulted later in concrete proposals, which were passed by the delegation to the Communist Party Central Committee. Many of them were implemented in the process of the Soviet-Chinese cultural cooperation in the 1950s.

Działalność warszawskiego Towarzystwa Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych i Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie z perspektywy Kalisza w świetle doniesień w „Kaliszaninie”

The Activity of the Warsaw Society for the Encouragment of Fine Arts and Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Cracow From the Perspective of Kalisz According to Reports in “Kaliszanin” Article analyzes press reports in available annuals of “Kaliszanin” from years 1870- 1892 about the activity of the TZSP and TPSP. Most of the texts include information about: selling of the stocks – subscriptions of society by booksellers in Kalisz, reproduction of artworks intended for bonuses for people who pay the membership subscriptions, results of the draws of artworks bought by Zachęta, especially if they were given to the residents of Kalisz and close areas. Additionally, Author analyses longer texts about the judgement of the TZSP committee, artistical judgements of the artworks that were exhibited and purchased by the society. Significant part is devoted to texts on functioning of Zachęta in reference to members of society who are living in the provinces and cannot benefit from amenities guaranteed by the metropolitan areas. Most of them includes the critical judgement of the activity of the TZSP. Matters discussed in the pages of Kalisz press are reflecting the significant problems of the society and indicate good orientation of the anonymous authors in the life of the society. Possibilities of fast information transfer, which has been created by the local press, enabled the fuller participation of the habitants from the provinces in the life of TZSP and were one of the factors of civilization, modernization of the city.

Issues of Elderly People in Nepal: A general Review

The issues of elderly people in Nepal are different in nature. The main objective of the study is to collect and identify the different types of issues of old-age people. Normally the issues or problems related to elderly are divided in five categories i.e., cultural, economic, health, psychological, and social. It is the general review of listed references to collect and identify the issues of senior citizen. A caretaker or old age home manager must be able to address all such issues while working with old-age people. It is necessary to maintain cordial relations with old age people. To manage the disorders, we need highly sophisticated old age homes all over the country. Governments should pay more social security to inject money in market and make happy elderly friendly society. It can contribute gender equality as well.

Principles of Positivist Jurisprudence in the Teachings of Warsaw Lawyers of the First Third of the XIX Century

The article is devoted to the extremely rich and insufficiently studied heritage of Polish legal thought. The political and geographical determinants of the chosen research topic are the restoration of statehood in central Polish lands in 1807 (Duchy of Warsaw and the Kingdom of Poland) and the defeat of the November Uprising (1830-1831) followed by measures taken by the Russian authorities to limit the autonomy of the Kingdom of Poland. The intellectual milestones are the founding of the School of Law in 1807 (later the Faculty of Law of the University of Warsaw), and the closure of the University of Warsaw in 1831, as well as the significant emigration of scientists in the same year and the liquidation of the Society of Friends of Science in 1832. The intellectual milestones are also European (and first of all Central European) processes of legal thought evolution in the second half of the XVIII – first third of the XIX century, which led to the formation of the first and still insufficiently understood and studied positivism in jurisprudence, being a profound phenomenon that reveals the essence of positivism in legal thought in general.
 The study found that the basic principle of jurisprudence in the vision of most Warsaw scholars during the study period was its independence from a priori and metaphysical philosophizing, and vice versa, the formation of its own philosophical and legal discourse (philosophy of positive law) based on generalization and understanding of research results. It was recognized that legal science should be a fundamentally new system of legal knowledge – positivist and social. Recognizing the historical and modern pluralism of such an organization of knowledge, Warsaw scholars have unequivocally identified themselves with the Central European jurisprudence, the core of which is the German. Warsaw scholars believed that jurisprudence was based on historical, dogmatic and philosophical approaches. Accordingly, they considered three relatively separate areas of scientific knowledge, which together can be considered as a single legal science or a system of interrelated legal sciences. Depending on the emphasis in the views of scholars on the fundamental or applied side of legal science, this system was seen differently, as well as the subject of jurisprudence – universal or more national. It can be argued that this to some extent correlated with the predominance in the views of certain scholars of the principles of historical-philosophical or historical schools.

Środowisko intelektualne Towarzystwa Miłośników Przeszłości Lwowa (1906-1939)

THE INTELLECTUAL MILIEU CHARACTERISING THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE PAST OF LVIV (1906-1939) 
 The paper is an attempt to characterise the Society of Friends of the Past of Lviv in the years 1906-1939 (with a 1914-1926 break); the community of Lviv historians, journalists, museologists, and archivists around this Society, and various forms and manifestations of their activity. The Society contributed to the development of research in the field of regional history, and studies on the history of Lviv, its culture and monuments. Among the co-founders of the Society were famous Lviv historians, including Aleksander Czołowski (1865-1944), Ludwik Kubala (1838-1918), Józef Białynia-Chołodecki (1852-1934), and the vice-mayor of the city of Lviv, Tadeusz Rutowski (1852-1918).

The impact of taxation policies on the research and development of alternative fuel vehicle companies -- A case study of NIO Inc.

In the context of industrial transformation and green development, the strategic position of the alternative fuel vehicle industry has been continuously improved, and it has become a long-term key support object for China’s industrial policy. With the acceleration of the industrial development process, the market competition has intensified, and the phenomenon of insufficient enterprise research and development has gradually become serious. This paper uses the literature analysis method, the method of combining theory and practice, and the case analysis method. Take the alternative fuel vehicle emerging company NIO Inc. as a case to analyze the role of taxation policies in research and development (R&D) input and output, identify existing problems and make suggestions for improvement. This study can promote the development of China’s alternative fuel vehicle industry, adjust the relevant upstream and downstream industrial chains and the business structure of industry enterprises, and build an environmentally friendly society as soon as possible. It also has theoretical guiding significance for the overall construction and adjustment of China’s fiscal and taxation policies.

Key public health challenges of the Chinese elderly in a new situation

The results of the seventh national census in 2020 show that China is facing a severe new situation with a rapid increase in the number of the elderly, a huge base of oldest old population, a rapid rise in the elderly dependency ratio, empty-nest families gradually becoming the main form of elderly families, and a further intensification of aging in the future. The elderly has prominent health problems such as decline in physical health, impairment of functional status, malnutrition and mental health, which bring a series of challenges to public health system, geriatric friendly society and geriatric health standards in China. Facing the new situation, we should find out the health status and service needs of the elderly as soon as we can, and regularly monitor and evaluate the progress of response strategies, formulate laws, regulations and policies related to the elderly at the national level, establish a well-defined, innovative and coordinated health care service and long-term care service system for the elderly, promote the wide participation of the whole society to build age-friendly environments. Oriented to the health characteristics and needs of the elderly, we should carry out trials of health protection and intervention for the elderly, strengthen scientific research and technological innovation to serve the elderly multilayered health needs, take multiple measures to improve the guarantee capacity and level of health services for the elderly, and finally actively exploring the "Chinese experience" of Chinese public health system in dealing with population aging.

Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action

The UN COP26 2021 conference on climate change offers the chance for world leaders to take action and make urgent and meaningful commitments to reducing emissions and limit global temperatures to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. Whilst the political aspects and subsequent ramifications of these fundamental and critical decisions cannot be underestimated, there exists a technical perspective where digital and IS technology has a role to play in the monitoring of potential solutions, but also an integral element of climate change solutions. We explore these aspects in this editorial article, offering a comprehensive opinion based insight to a multitude of diverse viewpoints that look at the many challenges through a technology lens. It is widely recognized that technology in all its forms, is an important and integral element of the solution, but industry and wider society also view technology as being part of the problem. Increasingly, researchers are referencing the importance of responsible digitalization to eliminate the significant levels of e-waste. The reality is that technology is an integral component of the global efforts to get to net zero, however, its adoption requires pragmatic tradeoffs as we transition from current behaviors to a more climate friendly society.

“There will be no shortage of books… or money to purchase them.” Education and the Reputation of the Library of the College of Artillery in Segovia as a Scientific and Publishing Centre

Charles III arrived in Spain from Naples accompanied by a multidisciplinary team of military advisers, including Count Gazzola from Piacenza, who had already drawn up his plans for the urgent military reforms required for the artillery. These included the institutionalisation of that branch of the army and the foundation of the college for artillery officers and industrial engineers to run the military factories being taken over by the State. The most eye-catching element of this undertaking is the formation of its magnificent Enlightenment scientific library. A study of this library reveals an exceptional collection, the origins of the first books brought to the institution, the way it was organised and the military and scientific topics addressed. But its fundamental contribution can be measured in terms of results: indeed, textbooks were created for the cadets, as well as research works on military, artillery and scientific topics written by teachers from the college, and translations of important European scientific books. Finally, as a contribution to demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the Crown’s investment in education for war, we highlight the work of three captains, showing the versatility they achieved thanks to their education at the college and their reputation outside it, in the service of society, as guiding lights of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (SEAP – Economic Society of Friends of the Country) in Segovia. Without this magnificent library, the research, monographs and translations – ultimately the college’s own published works which brought it great academic credit in Enlightenment Europe – would not have been possible.

HUMANISTIC ASPECTS OF ECOLOGICAL VALUES IN BUDDHISM AND TAOISM AND THEIR SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE

The tendency to seek the harmonization of the relationship between nature and man is as relevant as ever. In the social value discourse, increase in the role of religion and religions in public space encourages religions themselves to become useful to society with their environmental narratives, and society – to be more attentive to their potential. After all, now the answers to the question of how to save humanity without global losses and how to move from a destructive type of development to a regulated one are as relevant as ever. How to mobilize moral and intellectual potential? It is obvious that global problems affect absolutely all segments of the population: Christians and Buddhists, agnostics and atheists. Undoubtedly, these issues concern churches and their spiritual leaders. In the article, the author reveals humanistic aspects of ecological ideas of the East (on the example of Buddhism and Taoism), explains the resource of Buddhist and Taoist environmental wisdom in its heuristic possibilities for today. Relevant guidelines are important for analysis and reflection, at least because they have mentally shaped the ecological culture of its adherents. And as is known, the ecological construct of a number of Eastern countries is recognized in the West as worthy of approval and imitation for the formation of a model of sustainable development and potential establishment of environmentally friendly society. The author focuses not so much on the dogmatic features of the substantiation of Buddhist and Taoist ideas (in tendencies and directions), as on the identification of their common humanistic logic, which can be understood and accepted by Western people (they do not have to become the followers of relevant Eastern doctrines). The researcher also considers the value potential of the worldview cultures in the aspect of sacralization of the rhythms of nature, reverence for its beauty as an image of wise cosmic “industry”. The article implements the disciplinary interaction of religious studies, applied ethics, aesthetic hermeneutics.

Formation of legislation on pension insurance in France, Great Britain, and Russia. A retrospective

The relevance of the study is due to the crisis of modern pension insurance systems and the need to change the paradigm of pension legislation development. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the formation of legislation on pension insurance in several countries (France, Great Britain, and Russia) at the initial stage of development (before 1914). The novelty is expressed both in the formulation of the problem and in the research methodology (the choice of countries and the period of research, the justification for the use of methods: dialectics, analysis, synthesis, system-structural, sociological, statistical, historical-legal, comparative-legal, formal-legal). The result of the study was the conclusions about the historical conditionality of the peculiarities of the formation of legislation on pension insurance in a particular country. There was early legalization of both voluntary and compulsory pension insurance in France. There was no legislation on pension insurance in the UK during the period under review, despite the early development of relevant institutions in the framework of workshops, guilds, and later in the framework of trade unions and “friendly societies”. In Russia, due to the agrarian nature of the economy, pension insurance did not develop within the framework of workshops and guilds; there were no laws on insurance in case of old age by 1914, while the risks of disability and loss of the breadwinner were regulated by law.

Service Value Co-Creation in Digital Platform Business: A Case of Xianyu Idle Trading Platform

With the emerging digital platform economy, consumption activities are increasingly integrated in the production process of service platforms, and the development of e-commerce platforms shows a new realm for solving sustainability issues such as resource wasting and urban pollution. This paper investigates the service value co-creation processes in the digital platform context and recognizes the service value output categories under different stages among platform business, platform buyers, and sellers. Using an emergent and representative digital platform, the Xianyu idle trading platform, and adopting an embedded case study design and social media analysis approach, this paper illustrates the service value co-creation practices and value categories among users in each stage of purchase. We find that platform business not only facilitates value co-creations but is also an active participant. This study contributes to both value co-creation and platform business literature, and it sheds light on achieving sustainability in the platform economy and moving toward an environmentally friendly society.