Thoughts out of Season on the History of Animal Ethics

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Preece

AbstractContrary to conventional wisdom, the earlier Western tradition did not customarily deny souls per se to nonhuman animals; when it denied immortal souls to animals, it sometimes deemed that denial a reason for giving greater consideration to animals in their earthly existence. Nor has the Western tradition uniformly deemed animals intended for human use. Further, there was considerable opposition to the Cartesian view of animals as insentient machines, and—even among those who were convinced—it was not unknown for them to deem it inappropriate to rely on that conviction in the treatment of animals. Moreover, Darwin's (1874) theory of evolution had neither a novel nor a positive impact on the way in which animals were to be regarded and treated. The study of the history of animal ethics needs to be rethought in a far more nuanced manner.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-138
Author(s):  
Will Atkinson

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most well-known and influential artists in the western tradition. A sociological analysis of his creative practice, therefore, not only illuminates particularly consequential interventions in the history of art, with its knock-on effects for cultural consumption, but affords an opportunity for deepening our understanding of cultural production per se. At stake, I argue, is a fundamental artistic disposition – in this case, an aesthetic orientation toward nature and sentiment – persisting through, if not underpinning, changes of style. This article reconstructs the myriad forces involved in the genesis of this disposition in van Gogh’s early years. It draws upon the conceptual tools of Pierre Bourdieu to do so, but goes beyond them by stressing the importance of familial heritage and ‘second order’ field effects in shaping the young van Gogh’s aesthetic sympathies, long before he briefly entered the French artistic field in his final year of life.


Author(s):  
Andrew J. Friedenthal

This book argues that the narrative/world-building technique known as retroactive continuity, often overlooked by literary scholars and media historians alike, has become a naturalized and ubiquitous part of popular culture. A careful look at the history of retroactive continuity–or retconning– reveals how its growing acceptance as a part of popular narratives has led to a complex, complicated understanding of the ways in which history and story can interact, ultimately creating a cultural atmosphere that is increasingly accepting of revisionist historical narratives. This can be seen most potently in the way that the editable hyperlink, rather than the stable footnote, has become the de facto source of information in America today. The groundwork for this major cultural shift has been laid for decades via our modes of entertainment. To embrace the concept of retroactive continuity in fictional media means accepting that the past, itself, is not a stable element, but rather something that is constantly in contentious flux. Thus retconning, on the whole, has a positive impact on society, fostering a sense of history itself as a constructed narrative and engendering an acceptance of how historical narratives can and should be recast to allow for a broader field of stories to be told in the present.


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHEN YUNJUN

Chinese perfumery arts have a history of two or three thousand years. The art however, was never specifically separated from medicine, personal grooming or food culture; many aromatic materials were used for all of these purposes. In comparison to western traditions it is notable that Chinese perfumery was local in character. The aromatic raw materials employed were often native to Chinese lands, or imported from nearby. Moreover, Chinese perfumery differs from the western tradition in regard to the way in which a few outstanding aromatics have been employed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
B. D. Chornomaz

The article is devoted to the 250th anniversary of the Ukrainian rebellion, known as the «Koliivshchyna». The most significant burst of this uprising took place in the late 60’s of the XVIII century. The reason for the dissatisfaction of the people was the merciless exploitation of the Ukrainian peasantry by the Polish invaders. The Polish exploitation was carried out on the basis of social origin, nationality and religious confession. The most significant events connected with the above rebellion took place in Uman and its surroundings in 1768. The fight of the rebels was tough and bloody, obviously this particular feature of the rebellion called «Koliivshchyna» (from the word «koloty» – to thrust). The author of the article notes that for 250 years, separating us from the apogee of the rebellion, the accumulation of primary historical materials had to be completed, on the basis of which historians would have to determine the way of interpretation and to conduct a moral and legal evaluation of the events associated with the uprising. But we must admit that this is not the case. The reasons for this situation are sought by the author in an inadequate application of the Western historians’ achievements.The author takes into account the spirit of the uncertainty of positions in the way of treating the events associated with the rebellion in many publications of contemporary media, and this gives the right to conclude that there exists a problem of unity in the way of interpreting the purpose of the uprising and the actions of the rebels. The author sees the reason for this situation in the fact that Ukrainian historical experts in the historical studies of the above mentioned events connected with the «Koliivshchyna» rebellion, do not sufficiently apply the intellectual achievements of the historic school «New Historians», well known in the West (this school is also called the «Annales» school, the founders the schools are Mark Bloch and Lucien Febvre). The researchers also ignore the contemporary critique of the paradigms of Leopold von Ranke «Objectivist School». The achievements of famous Western epistemologists, such as Allan Megill, also fail to achieve optimum effect. The author points out the advantages of the «New Historians» School in constructing the results of historical research, but, on the background of the advantages and achievements of Western historians, the author of the proposed article proves the benefits of studies of Ukrainian historians.The widespread use in Western historical research the works of the New Historians School supporters has had a significant positive impact on the development of the historical science of these countries. The application of the scientific development of the supporters of this school (the school «New Historians» arose in 1929) was the reason for a qualitative step in the process of historical research in the West. In Ukraine, the widespread use in studies related to historical science subjects such as oral history, history of concepts, bottom history, visual history and many other related subjects of great popularity have not yet gained popularity, although some successes can already be seen.In the article the author provides the achievements of Ukrainian historian, professor Vasyl Shevchuk, which he gained during the study of the history of Ukrainian statehood, as an example of the successful development of the latest approaches to the study of Ukrainian history. V. Shevchuk in the early 90’s of the twentieth century became the founder of the definition of the statehood characteristics, which become apparent after the first victories of the rebels. According to V. Shevchuk, there are eight such characteristics. The process of acquiring statehood characteristics during the uprising usually occurs in the process of achievement by the rebels the success in the fight against the oppressors. So, the expansion of the tools of the study of the Ukrainian history related to historical subjects, such as that introduced by the school «New Historians», will definitely expand the possibilities for interpreting the events that took place during the uprising in 1768. At the very least, the use of the latest methods of studying the history of Ukraine gives such an opportunity to the researcher.New methods of studying the history of Ukraine, successfully used by the Ukrainian historians, will surely lead to an understanding and tolerant attitude to the fact that the history of Ukraine will not be perceived by Ukrainian in the same way as by a Pole or Russian, or anyone else with a distinct national identity. National systems of traditions, customs, peculiarities of the mentality and many other factors are the obstacle that will never let the Pope and the German or the Pole and Ukrainian perceive the truth of the story with the same emotions. The text of the article proved the existence of a problem of interpretation of the purpose and issues of the «Koliivshchyna» rebellion. The solution to this problem will take place in any case. To do this, you only need to perceive historical events with a sense of mutual respect and avoid single-ended estimates and uncompromising attitude.


Author(s):  
David Ephraim

Abstract. A history of complex trauma or exposure to multiple traumatic events of an interpersonal nature, such as abuse, neglect, and/or major attachment disruptions, is unfortunately common in youth referred for psychological assessment. The way these adolescents approach the Rorschach task and thematic contents they provide often reflect how such experiences have deeply affected their personality development. This article proposes a shift in perspective in the interpretation of protocols of adolescents who suffered complex trauma with reference to two aspects: (a) the diagnostic relevance of avoidant or emotionally constricted Rorschach protocols that may otherwise appear of little use, and (b) the importance of danger-related thematic contents reflecting the youth’s sense of threat, harm, and vulnerability. Regarding this last aspect, the article reintroduces the Preoccupation with Danger Index ( DI). Two cases are presented to illustrate the approach.


1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Johns

Job (Ayyūb) is a byword for patience in the Islamic tradition, notwithstanding only six Qur'anic verses are devoted to him, four in Ṣād (vv.41-4), and two in al-Anbiyā' (vv.83-4), and he is mentioned on only two other occasions, in al-Ancām (v.84) and al-Nisā' (v.163). In relation to the space devoted to him, he could be accounted a ‘lesser’ prophet, nevertheless his significance in the Qur'an is unambiguous. The impact he makes is achieved in a number of ways. One is through the elaborate intertext transmitted from the Companions and Followers, and recorded in the exegetic tradition. Another is the way in which his role and charisma are highlighted by the prophets in whose company he is presented, and the shifting emphases of each of the sūras in which he appears. Yet another is the wider context created by these sūras in which key words and phrases actualize a complex network of echoes and resonances that elicit internal and transsūra associations focusing attention on him from various perspectives. The effectiveness of this presentation of him derives from the linguistic genius of the Qur'an which by this means triggers a vivid encounter with aspects of the rhythm of divine revelation no less direct than that of visual iconography in the Western Tradition.


Somatechnics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oron Catts ◽  
Ionat Zurr

The paper discusses and critiques the concept of the single engineering paradigm. This concepts allude to a future in which the control of matter and life, and life as matter, will be achieved by applying engineering principles; through nanotechnology, synthetic biology and, as some suggest, geo-engineering, cognitive engineering and neuro-engineering. We outline some issues in the short history of the field labelled as Synthetic Biology. Furthermore; we examine the way engineers, scientists, designers and artists are positioned and articulating the use of the tools of Synthetic Biology to expose some of the philosophical, ethical and political forces and considerations of today as well as some future scenarios. We suggest that one way to enable the possibilities of alternative frames of thought is to open up the know-how and the access to these technologies to other disciplines, including artistic.


This volume is an interdisciplinary assessment of the relationship between religion and the FBI. We recount the history of the FBI’s engagement with multiple religious communities and with aspects of public or “civic” religion such as morality and respectability. The book presents new research to explain roughly the history of the FBI’s interaction with religion over approximately one century, from the pre-Hoover period to the post-9/11 era. Along the way, the book explores vexed issues that go beyond the particulars of the FBI’s history—the juxtaposition of “religion” and “cult,” the ways in which race can shape the public’s perceptions of religion (and vica versa), the challenges of mediating between a religious orientation and a secular one, and the role and limits of academic scholarship as a way of addressing the differing worldviews of the FBI and some of the religious communities it encounters.


Author(s):  
Arezou Azad

Covering the period from 709 to 871, this chapter traces the initial conversion of Afghanistan from Zoroastrianism and Buddhism to Islam. Highlighting the differential developments in four regions of Afghanistan, it discusses the very earliest history of Afghan Islam both as a religion and as a political system in the form of a caliphate.  The chapter draws on under-utilized sources, such as fourth to eighth century Bactrian documents from Tukharistan and medieval Arabic and Persian histories of Balkh, Herat and Sistan. In so doing, it offers a paradigm shift in the way early Islam is understood by arguing that it did not arrive in Afghanistan as a finished product, but instead grew out of Afghanistan’s multi-religious context. Through fusions with Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, early Abrahamic traditions, and local cult practices, the Islam that resulted was less an Arab Islam that was imported wholesale than a patchwork of various cultural practices.


Author(s):  
Michael Ruse

Can we live without the idea of purpose? Should we even try to? Kant thought we were stuck with it, and even Darwin, who profoundly shook the idea, was unable to kill it. Indeed, purpose seems to be making a comeback today, as both religious advocates of intelligent design and some prominent secular philosophers argue that any explanation of life without the idea of purpose is missing something essential. This book explores the history of purpose in philosophical, religious, scientific, and historical thought, from ancient Greece to the present. The book traces how Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian ideas of purpose continue to shape Western thought. Along the way, it also takes up tough questions about the purpose of life—and whether it's possible to have meaning without purpose.


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