It Keeps Me Seeking

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Hans Halvorson ◽  
Andrew Steane
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Good Argument ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Argument From Design ◽  
Relationship Of

Two scientists and a philosopher aim to show how science both enriches and is enriched by Christian faith. The text is written around four themes: 1. God is a being to be known, not a hypothesis to be tested; 2. We set a high bar on what constitutes good argument; 3. Uncertainty is OK; 4. We are allowed to open up the window that the natural world offers us. This is not a work of apologetics. Rather, the text takes an overview of various themes and gives reactions and responses, intended to place science correctly as a valued component of the life of faith. The difference between philosophical analysis and theological reflection is expounded. Questions of human identity are addressed from philosophy, computer science, quantum physics, evolutionary biology and theological reflection. Contemporary physics reveals the subtle and open nature of physical existence, and offers lessons in how to learn and how to live with incomplete knowledge. The nature and role of miracles is considered. The ‘argument from design’ is critiqued, especially arguments from fine-tuning. Logical derivation from impersonal facts is not an appropriate route to a relationship of mutual trust. Mainstream evolutionary biology is assessed to be a valuable component of our understanding, but no exploratory process can itself fully account for the nature of what is discovered. To engage deeply in science is to seek truth and to seek a better future; it is also an activity of appreciation, as one may appreciate a work of art.

scholarly journals Anthropocene Crisis: Climate Change, Pollinators, and Food Security

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Marshman ◽  
Alison Blay-Palmer ◽  
Karen Landman
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Geological Time Scale ◽  
Habitat Creation ◽  
Community Approach ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Institutional Space

In this paper, we propose a new approach—understood as a whole-of-community approach—to address a dualistic and dysfunctional human/nature relationship. Of particular concern is the decline in health and numbers of the insects that pollinate an estimated 90 percent of the Earth’s flora and an estimated 35 percent of global crop volume. Specifically, bees provide the majority of biotic pollination and play a critical role in food crop pollination. Multiple factors are contributing to this growing problem including a changing climate. In 2016, the International Commission on Stratigraphy agreed that the concept of the Anthropocene—the human epoch—is of sufficient scale to be considered part of the geological time scale. This indicates that these crises are not random or passive—they are largely the direct result of human activities. Despite decades of awareness of these socio-ecological issues, they continue to worsen. In addition, the growing awareness of the critical role of pollinators is creating a new understanding of our interconnectedness with the “natural” world. We introduce the Bee City movement as a way to operationalize a whole-of-community approach. Individual action is critical, but addressing pollinator health in these forums legitimizes and provides an institutional space for otherwise fringe, or even marginalized, activities and more coherent spaces for habitat creation.

scholarly journals Beyond Neoclassical Economics: The Impact of Religion on the Economic Disparity Between Georgia and Estonia

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-43
Author(s):  
Anastasia Mgaloblishvili
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Eastern Orthodoxy ◽  
Economic Divergence ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe aim of this article is to examine the impact religion has had on the post-Soviet economic development of Georgia and Estonia. The role of religion in economic development has been neglected in the field of social sciences, in which political and economic theories dominate. Considering the difference in the religiosity of the two countries—Georgia is one of the most religious countries in Europe while Estonia is the most atheist—religion will be incorporated as a factor that could have directly or indirectly impacted the post-Soviet development of the two countries. By studying the relationship of the church and the state in the two countries and the population’s economic attitudes that may have been influenced by their religiosity, this paper will conclude that religion can be considered a contributing factor in the economic divergence between Estonia and Georgia. The article’s overall findings will suggest that the practice of Eastern Orthodoxy in Georgia impedes the development of good governance and a free market economy, whereas the opposite holds for Protestantism or atheism in Estonia.

The Emerging Alliance of Religion and Ecology

1997 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Evelyn Tucker
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Religion And Ecology ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe role of the world's religions may be crucial in rethinking the relationship of humans to the natural world in a mutually enhancing manner. I first acknowledge, although briefly, the scale and complexity of the environmental crisis. Next, I suggest the need for seeking common grounds to work toward a resolution of the crisis. Then I highlight the call for the co-operation and action of the world's religions from particular sectors such as environmental groups, the United Nations, political leaders, scientists, and ethicists. Finally, I document some of the responses and the resources of the world's religions in evoking new attitudes toward nature.

scholarly journals Iterative systems in sold structures and filigree structures / study in structural surface strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-85
Author(s):  
Tahreer Moneer Sahib AL-ansari ◽  
Asmaa Mohamed AL-Moqaram
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Appearance ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Formation Method ◽  
Structural Surface ◽  
Iterative Systems ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Contemporary Architecture ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between the structure and the shape in contemporary architecture has different formatsaccording to design and structural requirements. The integration is important formulas among these relationship, asthey form one unit in architecture, where the integration is characteristic by the important property which is theiterative system. One of the strategies to find iterative systems in contemporary architecture over traditional is calledstructural surface. Previous knowledge has been differed in explaining the functional of systems and it’smechanisms, especially in the relationship among the form and structure, so the problem has surfaced “the necessityto know the difference of the properties and types of iterative systems among solid and perforated structures withinthe structural surface strategy, and it’s role between the form and the structure”. to achieve the research’s goal “whatare the repetition and iterative systems in contemporary architectural structure and it’s role to determine the shape ofthe relationship among the structure and the form for building of different heights “, which has depended ondescriptive analytical method in three stage after defining the repetition in general, iterative system in particular andprevious knowledge criticism. First stage has focused on building a theoretical framework (characteristics and typesof the iterative systems in contemporary architectural structure and structural surface strategy). Second stage hasfocused on knowing the levels of the relationship among the form and the structure, By studying selected sampleswithin building of different height In addition to determine the important basic assumption of the research ,which is(iterative systems is differ in architectural structure (solid and perforated) , through characteristics of the iterativesystems with the system and the relationship of the surrounding environment according to it’s height (high ,medium)and it’s formation method (orthogonal ,free) ) . Third stage has focused on analyzing the results and conclusions as inthe role of the iterative systems (structural surface strategy) in producing the solid structures by adopting therepetition of the structural elements and generative rules in perforated structures, and use it to achieve a fusionamong the form and the structure to produce structures with efficiency and aesthetic appearance and structures thatreflect movement and dynamism. The level of this relationship are :( first: the compositionl, through theorganizational depth of the architectural structure. Second: the expressive, by finding three types of the relationshipare (the merging, the discrete, and the hybrid).

The Crucial Role of Culture in Japanese Environmental Philosophy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Midori Kagawa-Fox
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Environmental Philosophy ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Moral Consciousness ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

A hybrid Japanese philosophy, integrating traditional Japanese Buddhist thought with the Western philosophical canon emerged during the twentieth century in response to the program of modernization instituted by the Maiji Restoration. Japanese culture, however, has been as important in shaping Japanese environmental ethics as have Japanese philosophical values. Japan has an extensive cultural heritage that has been built on mythology and folklore, and on religious beliefs and practices, and these ingredients have influenced the Japanese ethical consciousness. The indigenous Shinto religion, which evolved from animism, teaches that the ever-present kami (spirits) bind the Japanese to their environment. Their presence imparts a strong moral consciousness. Thus an understanding of the relationship of the kami to the Japanese people is essential for appreciating Japanese environmental ethics. Most Japanese have an intuitive belief in the kami that has been significant in forming their caring attitude toward the natural world.

scholarly journals Language-bound terms—term-bound languages: the difficulties of translating a national civil code into a lingua franca

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ádám Fuglinszky ◽  
Réka Somssich
Keyword(s):  
Prima Facie ◽  
Civil Code ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Legal Translation ◽  
Translation Methods ◽  
Comparative Results ◽  
Legal Concepts ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract The present paper—taking the example of the English translation of the Hungarian Civil Code of 2013—aims to give an overview on the legal and terminology-related challenges and pitfalls that might occur during the process of translating a civil code with civil law traditions into the language of the common law world. An attempt is made to categorise terminology-related conceptual problems and elaborate how the different types of translation methods (functional equivalence, paraphrasing and neologism) could be applied; moreover, how a kind of legal-linguistic checks-and-balances can be achieved through the well-dosed combination, having also the ratio of similarities to differences (SD-ratio or SD-relationship) of legal concepts behind the respective terms in mind. Legal translators must act beyond the role of a simple translator: they must be comparatists, being aware of the legal origin of the relevant concepts and using the methods of comparative private law and translation studies at the same time, since both law and language are system-bound and are heavily influenced by the cultural and social environment. The authors strive to identify the significance of those problems (and possible solutions) from the perspective of how language-related aspects can perform some fine-tuning on the comparative methodology and findings, whether they are barriers only or provide also an opportunity to verify or refute prima facie comparative results. Comparative law—no doubt—supports legal translation, but their relationship is reciprocal: legal-linguistic subjects and problems emerging in the course of legal translation supply valuable feedback and further sources of inspiration.

scholarly journals The role of the sharia supervisory board in the relationship of third-party fund and profits

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-218
Author(s):  
Fajria Zakiyah ◽  
Prayogo Prasojoharto ◽  
Sepky Mardian
Keyword(s):  
Supervisory Board ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Panel Data Regression ◽  
Data Regression ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Profit Growth

Purpose - This study aims to find empirical evidence of the effect of growth of Third-Party Funds (TPF) on profit growth with the role of the Sharia Supervisory Board (SSB) as moderator in Islamic banks in Indonesia.Method - This research is an associative research with a quantitative approach that used Panel Data Regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) as the data analysis methods. The research sample was 58 annual financial reports from 14 Islamic Commercial Banks in Indonesia.Result - TPF had a significant positive effect on bank profit growth, but the role of the SSB could not moderate the growth of TPF on the profit growth of Islamic banks.Implication - The implications of this research can strengthen the belief that Islamic banks need to improve the quality of their services and products to maintain the trust of customers and prospective customers to place their funds in Islamic banks.Originality - The difference in this study when compared to other studies is the role of the Sharia Supervisory Board which is positioned as a moderating variable for the growth of Third-Party Funds on profit growth.

scholarly journals ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING QUANTUM

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (03) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
SELIM G. AKL
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Machine Intelligence ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Brute Force ◽  
Equal Footing ◽  
The Difference

Game playing is commonly cited in debates concerning human versus machine intelligence, and Chess is often at the center of such debates. However, the role of Chess in delineating the difference between natural and artificial intelligence has been significantly diminished since a World Chess Champion lost in a tournament against a computer. Computer brute force is regularly blamed for the human defeat. This paper proposes a Quantum Chess Board in an attempt to bring back some equilibrium, putting humans and computers on an ostensibly equal footing when faced with the uncertainties of quantum physics.

Mother Earth as Metaphor: A Healing Pattern of Grieving and Giving Birth

Horizons ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-21
Author(s):  
Belden C. Lane
Keyword(s):  
Natural World ◽  
Biblical Theology ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Mother Earth ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Spiritual Connectedness ◽  
Recurrent Theme ◽  
Biblical Thought

AbstractMother Earth is often revered as a goddess in world mythology, but seldom recognized as also an important metaphor in the biblical theology of Old and New Testaments. The image of the earth as grieving mother is a recurrent theme, used in Scripture to symbolize the movement from tragedy and loss to the beginnings of hope. It is an image rich in implications for a theological approach to ecological questions, a search for human and sexual wholeness in a technological age, and a study of the relationship of biblical thought to the universal process of mythogenesis. More than this, however, it touches most deeply the human quest for the lost mother and the role of Christ's passion in the renewal of spiritual connectedness to the natural world.

scholarly journals Characterization of cephalic and non-cephalic sensory cell types provides insight into joint photo- and mechanoreceptor evolution

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Revilla-i-Domingo ◽  
Vinoth Babu Veedin Rajan ◽  
Monika Waldherr ◽  
Günther Prohaczka ◽  
Hugo Musset ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Relationship ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Peripheral Cell ◽  
Blue Light Receptor ◽  
Trunk Movements ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Distinct Features

Rhabdomeric opsins (r-opsins) are light-sensors in cephalic eye photoreceptors, but also function in additional sensory organs. This has prompted questions on the evolutionary relationship of these cell types, and if ancient r-opsins were non-photosensory. A molecular profiling approach in the marine bristleworm Platynereis dumerilii revealed shared and distinct features of cephalic and non-cephalic of r-opsin1-expressing cells. Non-cephalic cells possess a full set of phototransduction components, but also a mechanosensory signature. Prompted by the latter, we investigated Platynereis putative mechanotransducer, and found nompc and pkd2.1 co-expressed with r-opsin1 in TRE cells by HCR RNA-FISH. To further assess the role of r-Opsin1 in these cells, we studied its signaling properties and unraveled that r-Opsin1 is a Gαq-coupled blue-light receptor. Profiling of cells from r-opsin1 mutants versus wild-types, and a comparison under different light conditions reveals that in the non-cephalic cells, light - mediated by r-Opsin1 - adjusts the expression level of a calcium transporter relevant for auditory mechanosensation in vertebrates. We establish a deep learning-based quantitative behavioral analysis for animal trunk movements, and identify a light- and r-Opsin-1-dependent fine-tuning of the worm's undulatory movements in headless trunks, which are known to require mechanosensory feedback. Our results provide new data on peripheral cell types of likely light-sensory/mechanosensory nature. These results point towards a concept in which such a multisensory cell type evolved to allow for fine-tuning of mechanosensation by light. This implies that light-independent mechanosensory roles of r-opsins may have evolved secondarily.

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