How Free: Computing Personal Liberty

1983 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 73-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillel Steiner

Judgments about the extent to which an individual is free are easily among the more intractable of the various raw materials which present themselves for philosophical processing. On the one hand, few of us have any qualms about making statements to the effect that Blue is more free than Red. Explicitly or otherwise, such claims are the commonplaces of most history textbooks and of much that passes before us in the news media. And yet, good evidence for the presence of a philosophical puzzle here is to be found in the familiar hesitation we experience when we first reflect on the grounds for such claims. Is it really the case that the average Russian is less free than an Englishman in a dole queue? Are we quite certain that a dirt farmer in the Appalachians enjoys greater personal liberty than the inmate of a well-appointed modern prison? Were citizens of classical Athens more free, or less free, than their counterparts in today's welfare states?

1983 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 73-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillel Steiner

Judgments about the extent to which an individual is free are easily among the more intractable of the various raw materials which present themselves for philosophical processing. On the one hand, few of us have any qualms about making statements to the effect that Blue is more free than Red. Explicitly or otherwise, such claims are the commonplaces of most history textbooks and of much that passes before us in the news media. And yet, good evidence for the presence of a philosophical puzzle here is to be found in the familiar hesitation we experience when we first reflect on the grounds for such claims. Is it really the case that the average Russian is less free than an Englishman in a dole queue? Are we quite certain that a dirt farmer in the Appalachians enjoys greater personal liberty than the inmate of a well-appointed modern prison? Were citizens of classical Athens more free, or less free, than their counterparts in today's welfare states?


2019 ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
Petr M. Mozias

China’s Belt and Road Initiative could be treated ambiguously. On the one hand, it is intended to transform the newly acquired economic potential of that country into its higher status in the world. China invites a lot of nations to build up gigantic transit corridors by joint efforts, and doing so it applies productively its capital and technologies. International transactions in RMB are also being expanded. But, on the other hand, the Belt and Road Initiative is also a necessity for China to cope with some evident problems of its current stage of development, such as industrial overcapacity, overdependence on imports of raw materials from a narrow circle of countries, and a subordinate status in global value chains. For Russia participation in the Belt and Road Initiative may be fruitful, since the very character of that project provides us with a space to manoeuvre. By now, Russian exports to China consist primarily of fuels and other commodities. More active industrial policy is needed to correct this situation . A flexible framework of the Belt and Road Initiative is more suitable for this objective to be achieved, rather than traditional forms of regional integration, such as a free trade zone.


Author(s):  
Paola Sangiorgio ◽  
Alessandra Verardi ◽  
Salvatore Dimatteo ◽  
Anna Spagnoletta ◽  
Stefania Moliterni ◽  
...  

AbstractThe increase in the world population leads to rising demand and consumption of plastic raw materials; only a small percentage of plastics is recovered and recycled, increasing the quantity of waste released into the environment and losing its economic value. The plastics represent a great opportunity in the circular perspective of their reuse and recycling. Research is moving, on the one hand, to implement sustainable systems for plastic waste management and on the other to find new non-fossil-based plastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). In this review, we focus our attention on Tenebrio molitor (TM) as a valuable solution for plastic biodegradation and biological recovery of new biopolymers (e.g. PHA) from plastic-producing microorganisms, exploiting its highly diversified gut microbiota. TM’s use for plastic pollution management is controversial. However, TM microbiota is recognised as a source of plastic-degrading microorganisms. TM-based plastic degradation is improved by co-feeding with food loss and waste as a dietary energy source, thus valorising these low-value substrates in a circular economy perspective. TM as a bioreactor is a valid alternative to traditional PHA recovery systems with the advantage of obtaining, in addition to highly pure PHA, protein biomass and rearing waste from which to produce fertilisers, chitin/chitosan, biochar and biodiesel. Finally, we describe the critical aspects of these TM-based approaches, mainly related to TM mass production, eventual food safety problems, possible release of microplastics and lack of dedicated legislation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6052
Author(s):  
Paola Comodi ◽  
Azzurra Zucchini ◽  
Umberto Susta ◽  
Costanza Cambi ◽  
Riccardo Vivani ◽  
...  

A multi-methodic analysis was performed on five samples of fly ashes coming from different biomasses. The aim of the study was to evaluate their possible re-use and their dangerousness to people and the environment. Optical granulometric analyses indicated that the average diameter of the studied fly ashes was around 20 µm, whereas only ~1 vol% had diameters lower that 2.5 µm. The chemical composition, investigated with electron probe microanalysis, indicated that all the samples had a composition in which Ca was prevalent, followed by Si and Al. Large contents of K and P were observed in some samples, whereas the amount of potentially toxic elements was always below the Italian law thresholds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were completely absent in all the samples coming from combustion plants, whereas they were present in the fly ashes from the gasification center. Quantitative mineralogical content, determined by Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data, indicated that all the samples had high amorphous content, likely enriched in Ca, and several K and P minerals, such as sylvite and apatite. The results obtained from the chemo-mineralogical study performed make it possible to point out that biomass fly ashes could be interesting materials (1) for amendments in clayey soils, as a substitution for lime, to stimulate pozzolanic reactions and improve their geotechnical properties, thus, on the one hand, avoiding the need to mine raw materials and, on the other hand, re-cycling waste; and (2) as agricultural fertilizers made by a new and ecological source of K and P.


Due to manufactured technology enchantment the living being has much convenience and luxury. Though, at the same time, our current existence is doing damage to the environment. Like water pollution, air pollution and Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on so forth. But CO2 emissions are the one of the major reason polluting the environment. Furthermost of what we utilise in our daily life lead to emitting CO2 into the environment. Due to this it leads to global warming and climate change problems. Therefore, carbon auditing (Carbon Footprint Analysis) is the first essential step to review the use of energy, to improve energy conservation and to allow building to go green. For this reason we need carbon audit to reduce usage raw materials, waste generation so on so forth to minimise GHG emissions .“CARBON AUDIT” is conducted within the building’s boundary which includes the following stages:- People Survey to gather employee-level data, Building Survey to gather building-operation data, Carbon Footprint Analysis to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and Final Carbon Audit Report to provide tailored recommendations for going green along with action plan to get started


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (520) ◽  
pp. 175-187
Author(s):  
R. V. Lohosha ◽  
◽  
I. A. Semchuk ◽  

The article is aimed at defining the priorities for the development of the biofuel market in Ukraine to ensure the energy security of the country and satisfy the country’s energy needs. Prospects for the bioenergy sector of the economy in the world will be determined primarily by the optimization of national policies in the matrix of multifarious criteria. The place of the Ukrainian model is highly likely to be determined, on the one hand, by the development of the national market, on the other hand, by the production of raw materials for world biofuel markets. At the same time, this market and production in Ukraine remains only a potentially promising model that requires a scientific substantiation for its efficiency. As a result of the study, it is specified that the bioenergy industry has serious limitations and problems of economic nature that require scientific substantiation. After analyzing the limitations and prospects of the industry development in Ukraine at the level of agricultural enterprises that could deploy biofuel production, it should be emphasized that: 1) there is currently no biofuel market in Ukraine: there is no significant production, hence the proposal still remains unformed; there are no agents (firms, enterprises) of the market that would form the established demand; the necessary norms, institutions, mechanisms of the representative market have not been developed; 2) there is no successful experience of such a business both in Ukraine in general and in agricultural enterprises in particular. From here, as well as taking into account the above-mentioned aspects, the attractiveness of this business, including investment, needs to be justified. Enterprises of this group will face funding problems, as well as technical and technological support problems. Therefore, special careful economic substantiation of the market efficiency model and business processes is required; 3) because of these reasons, the task of scientific substantiation of the model of efficient management of this business becomes highly topical.


2020 ◽  
pp. 292-344
Author(s):  
Vuk Vukotić

This article compares the language ideologies of language experts (both academic and non-academic) in online news media in Lithuania, Norway and Serbia. The results will reveal that language is understood in diametrically opposed ways amongst Lithuanian and Serbian academic experts on the one, and Norwegian academic experts on the other hand. Lithuanian and Serbian academic experts are influenced by modernist ideas of language as a single, homogenous entity, whose borders ideally match the borders of an ethnic group. Norwegian academic experts function in the public sphere as those who try to deconstruct the modernist notion of language by employing an understanding of language as a cognitive tool that performs communicative and other functions. On the other hand, non-academic experts in all the three countries exhibit a striking similarity in their language ideologies, as the great majority expresses modernist ideals of language.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serhii Korablin

The article considers financial aspects of the implementation of the People's Republic of China's international initiative of "One Belt, One Way". China's impressive economic success over the last 30 years has shown how it grew into a major global exporter and investor, gaining the second-country status in terms of national GDP and imports. These changes took place against the backdrop of rapid economic growth and deep structural reforms, which were accompanied by increased output and exports of high value-added products. Under these conditions, the country naturally prefers to reorient the global economic system in such a way that it is more conducive to China's economic, financial and political interests. A key practical tool for implementing such a plan is the One Belt, One Way initiative, which is to ensure simultaneous access to (a) Western technologies, (b) global raw materials markets, (c) infrastructure capacities that should maximize the deliveries of Chinese produce to all corners of the world economy. However, such an ambitious plan requires an extraordinary amount of financial resources. Despite China's considerable international reserves (over $3 trillion), its volume is still insufficient to cope with such a task. Moreover, the country itself needs further assimilation of foreign investment and technology due to the relatively low level of capital intensity of its workforce. China will be able to solve this dilemma if it manages to create a system of "counter investment", that is, attraction and absorption of foreign investments from more technologically developed countries, which are denominated in the main reserve currencies, and simultaneously realize their own foreign investments in Yuan, offering their users deliveries of own products of slightly lower technological complexity than those received from foreign investors. This publication was prepared based on the presentation of "The Belt and Road Initiative - A New Shape of Globalization?" presented at the Institute of World Economics and Policy (IWEP) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in May 2019 as part of the International Economic and Economic Conference on "Economic and Trade Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative: Retrospect and Prospect".


Author(s):  
Q. Adebayo ◽  
L. T. Shittu ◽  
K. A. Sogunle ◽  
M. A. Taiwo ◽  
I. K. Zubairu

This work investigates the nutritional qualities of three common local tomato cultivars UTC, Dan -Masari and Dan-Eka in Dutsinma Local Government using standard techniques. The proximate, mineral, vitamins and lycopene contents were determined using AOAC method of analysis and the values were as follows. The moisture contents of the tomatoes were 95.56± 0.16 %, 93.85±0.12 %, 93.97±0.61 % for UTC, Dan-masari and Dan-eka respectively. Ash content were 0.36±0.03 %, 0.47±0.06 %, 0.51±0.09 % respectively. Protein content were 0.99±0.04 %, 0.73±0.07 %, and 0.79±0.79 % in the same order. Total carbohydrate for UTC indicated values of 2.58±0.24%, Dan-eka indicated value of 4.72±0.04% and Dan-masari indicated values of 4.53±0.38 %. While the fat content showed 0.19±0.00 %, 0.73±0.07 %, 0.188±0.01 % in that order. For vitamin A, the results were 19.80±0.73 mg/kg, 18.93±0.71 mg/kg and 15.49±0.24 mg/kg respectively. For vitamin B2 and B3 UTC has 0.003±0.00 mg/kg and 0.05±0.18 mg/kg in the same respect, Dan-eka showed B2 0.05±0.08 mg/kg and B3 0.15±0.20 mg/kg respectively while Dan-masari indicated B2 0.000±0.00 mg/kg and B3 0.15±0.20 mg/kg and vitamin C indicated values of 42.68±8.93 mg/kg for UTC, Dan-eka showed 52.82±3.60 mg/kg and Dan-masari showed values of 84.47±1.67 mg/kg. The lycopene content UTC has the values of 116.01±1.59 mg/kg, Dan-eka indicated 127.18±3.65 mg/kg and Dan-masari showed 91.36±2.24 mg/kg. The mineral content for potassium indicated values of 3.74±0.28 ppm, 3.40±0.16 ppm, 3.08±0.61 ppm for UTC, Dan-eka and Dan-masari respectively. For the iron content, 0.008±0.04 ppm, 0.002±0.00 ppm and 0.004±0.00 ppm of UTC, Dan-eka and Dan-masari respectively. Magnesium values were 0.27±0.07 ppm, 0.22±0.16 ppm and 0.25±0.02 ppm correspondingly. For calcium, the obtained values were 0.26±0.04 ppm, 0.26±0.05 ppm, 0.38±0.07 ppm respectively. The sodium contents were 0.18±0.02 ppm, 0.18±0.08 ppm, 0.30±0.13 ppm in that order. These local varieties grown in Dutsinma are also good source of nutrient with no difference in the physiological quality parameters compared to the one been imported. However, Dan-eka shows higher content of these nutrients in terms of lycopene and vitamin contents which makes it the best of these cultivars. However the results of this work suggest that three cultivars can provide good industrial raw materials for paste production because their total solids are within the range of specification and can meet daily recommended intake of lycopene and vitamin, moreover the low fat values for these samples gives it a positive nutritional implication.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-99
Author(s):  
Florian Helfer

This article examines the evolution of textbook representations of colonialism in two North Rhine-Westphalian textbook series for the Sekundarstufe II since 1989. On the one hand, the article shows that the developing post-colonial discourse in the German public debate had a particularly strong impact on schoolbooks in the mid-2000s. Textbooks reacted quickly to changes in the public debate and have increasingly attempted to deconstruct colonial narratives. However, implicit mental conceptions of African “backwardness” continue to exert some influence even on today’s textbook generation. On the other hand, the article identifies the distortions that appear when colonialism as a global phenomenon is discussed within a curricular framework that focuses on national and European history. Because of the close curricular link between High Imperialism and World War I, textbooks strongly focus on the global rivalry of the European powers, whereas other aspects of colonialism come up short.


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