scholarly journals Follow the scientists? How beliefs about the practice of science shaped COVID-19 views

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (07) ◽  
pp. A03
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Safford ◽  
Emily H. Whitmore ◽  
Lawrence C. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Political Party ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
The Public ◽  
Party Identity ◽  
Practice Of Science ◽  
The Way

“Follow the science” became the mantra for responding to COVID-19 pandemic. However, for the public this also meant “follow the scientists”, and this led to uneasiness as some viewed scientists as not credible. We investigate how beliefs about the way scientists develop their findings affect pandemic-related views. Our analysis shows that beliefs about scientists' objectivity predict views regrading coronavirus-related risks, behavioral changes, and policy priorities. While political party identity also predicts views about COVID-19-related concerns, these vary by political leaders whose approaches embraced versus dismissed science-based strategies, highlighting the importance of perceptions of scientists in shaping pandemic-related attitudes and beliefs.

Conclusion

2020 ◽  
pp. 152-160
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Political Party ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Central Issue ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Square ◽  
New States ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The One ◽  
The Way

So what happened to the Whigs? The antebellum political party died a slow death from 1845 to 1854. First, President James K. Polk provoked a morally bankrupt war with Mexico in 1845, annexing Texas, and extending the nation’s borders to California’s Pacific coastline along the way. The addition of so much new territory so quickly drove questions about slavery that moderate Whigs and Democrats alike had dodged for thirty years from the abstract into the public square. On the one hand, many Americans (mostly northern and middle western, mostly Whiggish) argued that slavery should not spread to any new states formed from the territories stolen from Mexico. To the contrary, many other Americans (mostly southern, mostly Democratic) argued that slaves were a legitimate form of constitutionally protected property that could not legally be excluded from territory won using the common treasury and national armies. The discovery of gold in California in 1849 only added fuel to the partisan fire because it inspired so many people to head west in search of fortune, hastening that state’s ability to meet the demographic requirements for admission to the Union, and forcing the country at large to grapple with questions for which it was unprepared. Thus, the contest was joined over the central issue that was to dominate all American political life for the next dozen years, namely, the disposition of the territories. For the moment, moderates who desperately longed for a compromise that might stifle the underlying issue of slavery held the majority. However, it is a truism that happens to be true that, in crises of this sort, extremists grow in power, swallowing up all political space in the conciliatory center....

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Peter Charles Hoffer ◽  
Williamjames Hull Hoffer
Keyword(s):  
American Revolution ◽  
Thomas Jefferson ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Founding Fathers ◽  
The Public ◽  
John Dickinson ◽  
The Way

The revolutionary lawyers, including Adams’s idol James Otis Jr., Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson, and Virginians Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, along with Adams and others deployed the skills of their profession to further the public welfare in crisis times. They were the framers of the American Revolution and the governments that followed. The words of these lawyers are part of American Scripture and the lawyers sit in the pantheon of the Founding Fathers. But it is a mistake to forget that before and while they were Political leaders, they were practicing counsel. The way that people earn their bread leaves deep traces in the way they explain themselves to one another and to posterity. The lawyers’ years of practice, and the habits of thinking and pleading they mastered as part of that practice, influenced how they approached the crisis and how they fabricated the new nation’s idea of law.

Heritage

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Shaikh ◽  
Stefano Bonino
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Online Video ◽  
The South ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Public ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Community Heritage ◽  
Personal Accounts ◽  
The Way

The Colourful Heritage Project (CHP) is the first community heritage focused charitable initiative in Scotland aiming to preserve and to celebrate the contributions of early South Asian and Muslim migrants to Scotland. It has successfully collated a considerable number of oral stories to create an online video archive, providing first-hand accounts of the personal journeys and emotions of the arrival of the earliest generation of these migrants in Scotland and highlighting the inspiring lessons that can be learnt from them. The CHP’s aims are first to capture these stories, second to celebrate the community’s achievements, and third to inspire present and future South Asian, Muslim and Scottish generations. It is a community-led charitable project that has been actively documenting a collection of inspirational stories and personal accounts, uniquely told by the protagonists themselves, describing at first hand their stories and adventures. These range all the way from the time of partition itself to resettling in Pakistan, and then to their final accounts of arriving in Scotland. The video footage enables the public to see their facial expressions, feel their emotions and hear their voices, creating poignant memories of these great men and women, and helping to gain a better understanding of the South Asian and Muslim community’s earliest days in Scotland.

The End of History Museums: What's Plan B??

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cary Carson
Keyword(s):  
Historic Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
End Of History ◽  
House Museums ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Plan B ◽  
The End Of History ◽  
The Way

Abstract Are historic sites and house museums destined to go the way of Oldsmobiles and floppy disks?? Visitation has trended downwards for thirty years. Theories abound, but no one really knows why. To launch a discussion of the problem in the pages of The Public Historian, Cary Carson cautions against the pessimistic view that the past is simply passéé. Instead he offers a ““Plan B”” that takes account of the new way that learners today organize information to make history meaningful.

Rewritten or Reused? Originality, Intertextuality, and Reuse in the Writings of a Buddhist Visionary in Contemporary Tibet

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 203-231
Author(s):  
Antonio Terrone
Keyword(s):  
Public Domain ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Way

The study of Buddhist texts can inform us of the way scriptures were composed, as well as illuminate the reasons behind their production. This study examines the phenomenon of borrowing and reusing portions of texts without attributing them to their ‘legitimate authors’ within the Buddhist world of contemporary Tibet. It shows that not only is such a practice not at all infrequent and is often socially accepted, but that it is used in this case as a platform to advance specific claims and promote an explicit agenda. Therefore, rather than considering these as instances of plagiarism, this essay looks at the practice of copying and borrowing as an exercise in intertextuality, intended as the faithful retransmission of ancient truths, and as an indication of the public domain of texts in Tibet.

Provincial Governance of Education—The Western Cape Experience

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Robert ◽  
Brian Levy
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Political Party ◽  
School Level ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Public Education System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Bureaucracy

The focus of this chapter is the management and governance of education at provincial level—specifically on efforts to introduce performance management into education by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), and their impact. Post-1994 the WCED inherited a bureaucracy that was well placed to manage the province’s large public education system. Subsequently, irrespective of which political party has been in power, the WCED consistently has sought to implement performance management. This chapter explores to what extent determined, top-down efforts, led by the public sector, can improve dismal educational performance. It concludes that the WCED is a relatively well-run public bureaucracy. However, efforts to strengthen the operation of the WCED’s bureaucracy have not translated into systematic improvements in schools in poorer areas. One possible implication is that efforts to strengthen hierarchy might usefully be complemented with additional effort to support more horizontal, peer-to-peer governance at the school level.

Is political engagement by constitutional monarchs compatible with democracy?

2021 ◽  
pp. 205789112199169
Author(s):  
Kana Inata
Keyword(s):  
Political Engagement ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Involvement ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Public Approval ◽  
Do So

Constitutional monarchies have proved to be resilient, and some have made substantive political interventions even though their positions are mostly hereditary, without granted constitutional channels to do so. This article examines how constitutional monarchs can influence political affairs and what impact royal intervention can have on politics. I argue that constitutional monarchs affect politics indirectly by influencing the preferences of the public who have de jure power to influence political leaders. The analyses herein show that constitutional monarchs do not indiscriminately intervene in politics, but their decisions to intervene reflect the public’s preferences. First, constitutional monarchs with little public approval become self-restraining and do not attempt to assert their political preferences. Second, they are more likely to intervene in politics when the public is less satisfied about the incumbent government. These findings are illustrated with historical narratives regarding the political involvement of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand in the 2000s.

scholarly journals Energy-Related Behaviour of Consumers from the Silesia Province (Poland)—Towards a Low-Carbon Economy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2218
Author(s):  
Sylwia Słupik ◽  
Joanna Kos-Łabędowicz ◽  
Joanna Trzęsiok
Keyword(s):  
Classification Model ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Energy Behaviour ◽  
Carbon Economy

The issue of energy behaviour among Polish consumers, and especially the motives and attitudes they manifest, is relatively under-researched. This article attempts to identify individual attitudes and beliefs of energy consumers using the example of the residents of the province of Silesia (Poland). The authors conducted the expert segmentation of respondents in terms of their motivation for saving energy, based on the results of their proprietary survey. The second stage of the study involved using a classification model that allowed for the characterisation of the obtained groups. Psychological and financial factors were of greatest significance, which is confirmed by the results of other studies. Nonetheless, the obtained results explicitly indicate the specificity of the region, which requires transformation towards a low-emission economy. Despite the initial stage of changes both in the awareness of the consumers and the public interventions of the authorities, it should be emphasized that a majority of the respondents—at least to a basic extent—declared taking energy-saving measures. Financial motives are predominant among the respondents, although pro-environmental motives can also be noticed, which might translate into increased involvement and concern for the environment and climate.

An Analysis of Attitudes—Dynamics and Effects

1974 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice A. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Blind People ◽  
Special Significance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emotional Factors ◽  
Blind Persons ◽  
The Way

Several cognitive factors are singled out because of their strong influence on the way in which the abilities of blind people are perceived, namely: the spread phenomenon, position of the observer, expectation discrepancy, restricting environmental opportunities in accord with expectations, attribution to person versus environment. In the affective area, negative emotional factors (pity, fear, uneasiness, guilt) and positive emotional factors (genuine sympathy, respect, appreciation, warm interpersonal relationships) are discussed. Ambivalence (the presence of both positive and negative components) is seen as contributing to the variability of behavior toward blind people. Finally, guidelines for the improvement of attitudes and environmental opportunities are outlined. Of special significance for the education of the public is the approach based on the coping framework as opposed to the succumbing framework. Integrating blind persons with sighted persons into as many activities as possible is supported. The vigorous engagement and leadership in programs for the blind by blind people working collaboratively with sighted people are also stressed.

scholarly journals How Reflective and Critical Norm-Usage Paves the Way to the Public Power of Judgement

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-188
Author(s):  
Karolina M. Cern
Keyword(s):  
Legal Reasoning ◽  
Public Power ◽  
The Public ◽  
Democratic Polity ◽  
Power Needs ◽  
The Way

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Neil MacCormick’s conception of norm-usage makes it necessary to address the concept of the public power of judgement as the key concept for understanding the democratic legitimization of current law. Therefore, firstly I analyse MacCormick’s conception of norm-usage, secondly I demonstrate that it leads to the idea of the institutionalisation of judgemental–interpretative practice, and thirdly, I show that the latter paves the way to the public power of judgement. Finally, I argue that this power needs to be elaborated in terms of competencies which are broader than legal skills and legal reasoning, and, further, that these competencies condition the use of both legal skills and reasoning. Importantly, MacCormick’s contribution to understanding the public power of judgement—when further developed—may indicate the profound role of comprehending the proper significance of law in a democratic polity and its relationship to the citizenry.

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