scholarly journals Transhumanism: from Julian Huxley to UNESCO

JAHR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-160
Author(s):  
Christian Byk
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Director General ◽  
Aldous Huxley ◽  
Julian Huxley ◽  
Science And Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brave New World

Julian Huxley, founder and the first Director-General of UNESCO, is at the heart of contemporary debates on the nature and objectives of the concept of transhumanism, which he first used in the early 1950s. Therefore, the analysis of his idea of transhumanism - a tool to improve the quality of life and the condition of man - should lead us to question his heritage in terms of philosophy that inspires UNESCO’s action as it seeks to build a comprehensive approach to artificial intelligence that takes into account, among other things, the values and principles of universal ethics and aims to derive the best from the use of this technology. This title where the British biologist, the elder brother of the famous science fiction writer, Aldous Huxley, author of the Brave New World, coexists with the United Nations Organization in charge of Education of Science and Culture is obvious for those who know the history of this international organization or who like radio games: Julian Huxley was appointed as the first Director-General of UNESCO in 1946. But, beyond this evidence, there is a deeper link that highlights the history of the renewal of the idea of transhumanism (I) and questions about the role that UNESCO has, among the other international organizations (II).

The Executive Head: An Essay on Leadership in International Organization

1969 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Executive Leadership ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
World Power ◽  
Power Base ◽  
History Of

The quality of executive leadership may prove to be the most critical single determinant of the growth in scope and authority of international organization. Now sufficiently long and varied to allow a comparative approach, the history of international organization may provide elements for a theory of leadership. This essay is but a preliminary effort in that direction. It is concerned not only with how the executive head protects and develops his position as top man but also with how, by doing so, he may be the creator of a new (if yet slender) world power base.

Keeping Your Enemies Close? The Variety of Social Movements’ Reactions to International Organizations’ Opening Up

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Anderl ◽  
Priska Daphi ◽  
Nicole Deitelhoff
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
Opening Up

Abstract Starting in the 1990s, international organizations (IOs) have created various opportunities of access for civil society to voice criticism. While international relations (IR) scholarship has increasingly addressed the resulting interaction between IOs and civil society with a focus on NGOs, we know little about the particular reactions to IOs’ opening up by social movements. This paper analyzes reactions to opening up by a transnational social movement centrally addressing IOs: the Global Justice Movement (GJM). Examining reactions by different groups of the GJM in Europe and Southeast Asia to IOs’ opening up, we demonstrate that reactions differ considerably depending on activists’ assessments of the nature of opening up. In particular, we identify four pathways of reactions on a continuum from (1) strong cooperation with IOs as a reaction to opening up, (2) temporally limited cooperation with different IOs, (3) a hybrid reaction that combines cooperation with specific IOs with a strong opposition to other IOs in reaction to their opening up, to (4) a continuous rejection of all cooperation with IOs. We show how these different reactions are shaped by activists’ perceptions of the quality of the international opening up in conjunction with national and local context factors. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that such perceptions can significantly change over time depending on experiences of interactions. Reactions to opening up are therefore not predictable on the basis of a movement's shape and resources only, but rather depend on a variety of factors such as the movement's perception of the IO's sincerity in a strategic and consequential interaction, as well as the movement's ideological framework and its history of interaction with institutions at other levels, especially in the domestic realm.

Responsibility of the WTO for Breach of an International Obligation under the Draft Articles on Responsibility of International Organizations

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 197-242
Author(s):  
Noemi Gal-Or
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
World Trade ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Legal Personality ◽  
International Obligation ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
International Responsibility ◽  
International Legal Personality

SummaryThis article challenges the argument that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is devoid of executive or governing functions and, hence, immune from the regime set out in the International Law Commission’s 2011 Draft Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations (RIO). A brief drafting history of the RIO, clarification of the terminology associated with matters of international responsibility, and two hypothetical examples illustrating the potential for WTO responsibility set the stage for the article’s main argument. The author examines the WTO’s nature by analyzing its constituent law, its sui generis mandate and functions, its international legal personality, and its own use of terminology in presenting itself to the world. Critical analysis of RIO Articles 64 (on lex specialis) and 10 (on the existence of a breach of an international obligation), and their application to the WTO, completes the argument. The author thus refutes both the notions that (1) the WTO is exclusively member driven and, hence, not an executive, governing organization but a sui generis entity and (2) the WTO is therefore unable to breach an international obligation and thus immune from the RIO regime. The article concludes that, while a breach by the WTO of an international obligation may be exceedingly rare, it nonetheless — as any international organization — comes within the ambit of the RIO regime. The WTO should therefore consider adjusting its internal rules accordingly.

Leadership: A Comparative Perspectivex

1974 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Laitin ◽  
Ian Lustick
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Political Science ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Exogenous Variable ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Task Environment ◽  
Quality Of Leadership ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Made In

In the field of political science in general and in the study of international organizations in particular, leadership has been a particularly neglected concept. It has served as a kind of residual category —a handy, or bothersome, exogenous variable. Attempts that have been made, in the international organization context, to isolate leadership as an independent variable and to proceed with comparative analysis have, at best, centered on whether a particular leader followed certain maxims or strictures for good leadership or on what battery of tactics a leader may more or less successfully employ in a given context. No attempt has been made, however, to set the parameters for the relevance of various leadership maxims or to separate the quality of leadership from the specific kinds of resources and constraints that prevail in any given task environment. Thus, general comparison of leaders remains conceptually impossible.

scholarly journals The history of the formation of international organizations in the world

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-242
Author(s):  
Sabina Kubas
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
International Organization ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

The formation of an international organization is a process which stems from the need to act at a given time and in given conditions that occur in a specific environment. An organization is established when a group of subjects of international relations realizes the need for a fully permanent and systematic cooperation in order to implement agreed tasks and competences. Interest in such activity arises when the common need or threat is of such nature and magnitude that individual entities cannot cope with them alone, or they do it ineffectively. An international organization is not created for cyclical reasons for a short, strictly defined period of time, but for the purpose of permanent cooperation based on the mutual interests of all its members.

Probiotics in gastroenterology – from a different angle

2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (8) ◽  
pp. 294-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
György Miklós Buzás
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Probiotic Treatment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Irritable Bowel

After a short overview of the history of probiotics, the author presents the development of human intestinal microflora based on the newest genetic data and the microbiological features of main probiotics. The indications of probiotic administration have been defined and extended in recent years. The author reviews significant results of probiotic treatment in some gastrointestinal diseases based on meta-analytical data. Probiotics are useful in preventing and treating diarrhoea caused by antibiotics and Clostridium difficile caused diarrhoea. In the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, preparations containing certain Lactobacillus,Bifidobacterium strains or Saccaromyces boulardii could enhance by 5–10% the rate of successful eradication and reduce the incidence and severity of the side effects. Some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and thus the quality of life can be improved by probiotics. Their beneficial effect in ulcerative colitis was proven, while in Crohn’s disease has not yet been defined. The use of probiotics is not included in guidelines, with the exception of the Maastricht IV/Florence consensus. For each disease it is advisable to use probiotics containing strains only with proven beneficial effect. The efficiency of preparations containing mixed strains has not yet been properly investigated. The author reviews the rare but potentially serious side effects of probiotics. In Hungary, there are many probiotic preparations available which can be purchased in pharmacies without prescription: their use is more empirical than evidence-based. The European Food Safety Authority has recently rejected claims for probiotics to be classed as medicines given the lack of convincing evidence on the effects of probiotics on human health and well-being. Clearly, further research is needed to collect evidence which could be incorporated into the international guidelines. Orv. Hetil., 2013, 154, 294–304.

Global Development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Lorenzini
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Berlin Wall ◽  
History Of Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War

In the Cold War, “development” was a catchphrase that came to signify progress, modernity, and economic growth. Development aid was closely aligned with the security concerns of the great powers, for whom infrastructure and development projects were ideological tools for conquering hearts and minds around the globe, from Europe and Africa to Asia and Latin America. This book provides a global history of development, drawing on a wealth of archival evidence to offer a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a Cold War phenomenon that transformed the modern world. Taking readers from the aftermath of the Second World War to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the book shows how development projects altered local realities, transnational interactions, and even ideas about development itself. The book shines new light on the international organizations behind these projects—examining their strategies and priorities and assessing the actual results on the ground—and it also gives voice to the recipients of development aid. It shows how the Cold War shaped the global ambitions of development on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and how international organizations promoted an unrealistically harmonious vision of development that did not reflect local and international differences. The book presents a global perspective on Cold War development, demonstrating how its impacts are still being felt today.

Consortium of European Research Libraries 2008: New Challenges

2009 ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Nailya F. Verbina ◽  
Andrei C. Masevich
Keyword(s):  
International Organizations ◽  
International Research ◽  
Book History ◽  
Bibliographic Database ◽  
European Research ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
International Research Institute ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
History Of Culture

On the activities of one of the most significant international organizations connected with research of book history - Consortium of European Research Libraries. The creation of a bibliographic database of the printed book from 1452 to 1830, which was supposed to collect materials from libraries of Europe, was the goal of Consortium since the beginning of its foundation. The authors of the article write that today the activities of the Consortium is much broader, it turns into international research institute on the history of culture.

EXPLORING HEALTHCARE ARCHITECTURE THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF FILM: Motives and Techniques

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Stephen Verderber
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
The Real ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Behavior Setting ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
History Of

The interdisciplinary field of person-environment relations has, from its origins, addressed the transactional relationship between human behavior and the built environment. This body of knowledge has been based upon qualitative and quantitative assessment of phenomena in the “real world.” This knowledge base has been instrumental in advancing the quality of real, physical environments globally at various scales of inquiry and with myriad user/client constituencies. By contrast, scant attention has been devoted to using simulation as a means to examine and represent person-environment transactions and how what is learned can be applied. The present discussion posits that press-competency theory, with related aspects drawn from functionalist-evolutionary theory, can together function to help us learn of how the medium of film can yield further insights to person-environment (P-E) transactions in the real world. Sampling, combined with extemporary behavior setting analysis, provide the basis for this analysis of healthcare settings as expressed throughout the history of cinema. This method can be of significant aid in examining P-E transactions across diverse historical periods, building types and places, healthcare and otherwise, otherwise logistically, geographically, or temporally unattainable in real time and space.

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