scholarly journals The History, Landscapes, Metaphors and Ghosts Around the Concept of Specificity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Romo-González ◽  
Carlos Larralde ◽  
Abraham Puga-Olguín ◽  
Enrique Vargas-Madrazo
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Species Specificity ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Epistemological Problem ◽  
Theoretical Entity ◽  
Perceived Reality ◽  
The Individual

The confusion between objects/processes and the language which describes them, leads to theories of doubtful verisimilitude about reality, inappropriate in time and even false, which distance us from the knowledge of perceived reality. In biology there are many examples of this kind of epistemological problem. Here we examine those related with specificity: a theoretical entity of enormous importance for biology and science in general.  It sinks its roots beneath the evolutionary duality species-specificity, associated with the Linnean-Darwinist tradition that explains organized life in a discrete and hierarchical way.  It conceptualizes the individual as an isolated agent fighting for survival as the foundation of a warrior vision of the immune system.  Microorganisms are understood as inferior beings which should be eliminated in accordance with the self/not-self distinction. The use of these metaphors outside of historical context traces a map that guides the recognition of the Self and of the other according to the dialectic of Western biopolitics.

Self, Indian theories of

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.S. Rukmani
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Inner Self ◽  
Spiritual Energy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Ultimate Principle ◽  
Ultimate Nature

Hindu thought traces its different conceptions of the self to the earliest extant Vedic sources composed in the Sanskrit language. The words commonly used in Hindu thought and religion for the self are jīva (life), ātman (breath), jīvātman (life-breath), puruṣa (the essence that lies in the body), and kṣetrajña (one who knows the body). Each of these words was the culmination of a process of inquiry with the purpose of discovering the ultimate nature of the self. By the end of the ancient period, the personal self was regarded as something eternal which becomes connected to a body in order to exhaust the good and bad karma it has accumulated in its many lives. This self was supposed to be able to regain its purity by following different spiritual paths by means of which it can escape from the circle of births and deaths forever. There is one more important development in the ancient and classical period. The conception of Brahman as both immanent and transcendent led to Brahman being identified with the personal self. The habit of thought that tried to relate every aspect of the individual with its counterpart in the universe (Ṛg Veda X. 16) had already prepared the background for this identification process. When the ultimate principle in the subjective and objective spheres had arrived at their respective ends in the discovery of the ātman and Brahman, it was easy to equate the two as being the same spiritual ‘energy’ that informs both the outer world and the inner self. This equation had important implications for later philosophical growth. The above conceptions of the self-identity question find expression in the six systems of Hindu thought. These are known as āstikadarśanas or ways of seeing the self without rejecting the authority of the Vedas. Often, one system or the other may not explicitly state their allegiance to the Vedas, but unlike Buddhism or Jainism, they did not openly repudiate Vedic authority. Thus they were āstikadarśanas as opposed to the others who were nāstikadarśanas. The word darśana for philosophy is also significant if one realizes that philosophy does not end with only an intellectual knowing of one’s self-identity but also culminates in realizing it and truly becoming it.

scholarly journals Outobiografie as hermeneutiek van die self: Van Rousseau tot Le Clézio

Literator ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Snyman
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ken Bugul ◽  
Marguerite Yourcenar ◽  
Autobiographical Texts ◽  
Intercultural Encounters ◽  
Individual Existence ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Historical Model

Autobiography as hermeneutics of the self, from Rousseau to Le Clézio. This article investigates the hypothesis that autobiography can be regarded as a type of hermeneutics of the self. In order to achieve this, a selection of French autobiographical texts was analysed. As this study is a reworked version of an inaugural lecture, it presents an overview rather than a detailed analysis of the theories or the texts it refers to. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions, generally regarded as a cornerstone of modern autobiography, was used as a point of departure for the interpretation of operations of understanding at work in autobiographical texts. The article demonstrates how the writers of the rest of the corpus of texts question Rousseau’s historical model in different ways according to more recent concepts of the self. Thus it is argued that George Perec replaces the historical model of understanding with an approach based on deciphering signs from the past; that Nathalie Sarraute combines the New Novel’s concept of the divided subject with that of tropismes in order to give a truthful representation of her childhood; and that Roland Barthes problematises the notion of language as a medium of expression of subjectivity in his ‘anti-outobiography’. This study furthermore demonstrates how Marguerite Yourcenar breaks with the anthropomorphism associated with humanism to pave the way for the realisation that the presence of the Other profoundly determines the understanding of the self. Finally, the ethics of dealing with the Other in intercultural encounters, as recorded in Ken Bugul and Jean-Marie Le Clézio’s autobiographies, is examined. The article shows how, from the 18th century onwards, literary and philosophical trends influenced the act of understanding and interpreting the individual existence and hence the nature of autobiography.

scholarly journals Kierkegaard and the modern search for self

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Humanistic Psychology ◽  
Relational Understanding ◽  
Search For Self ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual

In this article, I argue that Kierkegaard’s analysis of the self and the concept of despair introduces another approach to the self that is different from the one found in humanistic psychology. Rather than seeing the self as something organic, something universally and privately given to the individual to develop, Kierkegaard presented a dialectical and a relational understanding of the self, wherein the notion of “the other” is central. Central in Kierkegaard’s analysis in Sickness Unto Death are two modalities when it comes to despair: the despair of not willing to be oneself and the despair of willing to be oneself. Kierkegaard’s analysis of the despair of willing to be oneself can be read as a strong critique of the notion of self being constituted by itself, as argued by humanistic psychology.

Homogeneity, “glocalism” or somewhere in between?

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 288-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Cecilia de Burgh-Woodman
Keyword(s):  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pierre Loti ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to expand current theories of globalisation to a consideration of its impact on the individual. Much work has been done on the impact of globalisation on social, political and economic structures. In this paper, globalisation, for the individual, reflects a re-conceptualisation of the Self/Other encounter. In order to explore this Self/Other dimension, the paper analyses the literary work of nineteenth-century writer Pierre Loti since his work begins to problematise this important motif. His work also provides insight into the effect on the individual when encountering the Other in a globalised context. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from literary criticism, the paper adopts an interpretive approach. Using the fiction and non-fiction work of Pierre Loti, an integrated psychoanalytical, postcolonial analysis is conducted to draw out possible insights into how Loti conceptualises the Other and is thus transformed himself. Findings – The paper finds that the Self/Other encounter shifts in the era of globalisation. The blurring of the Self/Other is part of the impact of globalisation on the individual. Further, the paper argues that Loti was the first to problematise Self/Other at a point in history where the distinction seemed clear. Loti's work is instructive for tracing the dissolution of the Self/Other encounter since the themes and issues raised in his early work foreshadow our contemporary experience of globalisation. Research limitations/implications – This paper takes a specific view of globalisation through an interpretive lens. It also uses one specific body of work to answer the research question of what impact globalisation has on the individual. A broader sampling and application of theoretical strains out of the literary criticism canon would expand the parameters of this study. Originality/value – This paper makes an original contribution to current theorisations of globalisation in that it re-conceptualises classical understandings of the Self/Other divide. The finding that the Self/Other divide is altered in the current era of globalisation has impact for cultural and marketing theory since it re-focuses attention on the shifting nature of identity and how we encounter the Other in our daily existence.

scholarly journals Occupational structure of bearers of Jewish rabbinical, occupational and generic surnames

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 971
Author(s):  
Alexander Jonathan Vidgop ◽  
Nelly Norton ◽  
Nechama Rosenberg ◽  
Malka Haguel-Spitzberg ◽  
Itzhak Fouxon
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Occupational Structure ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Standard Classification ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Study Choice

We study choice of profession in three groups of Russian-speaking Jewish families with different occupational distributions of the ancestors. This study continues exploration of the persistence of social status of families over centuries that was initiated in recent years. It was found previously that in some cases professions remain associated with the same surnames for many generations. Here the studied groups are defined by a class of the surname of individuals composing them. The class serves as a label that indicates a professional bias of the ancestors of the individual. One group are the bearers of the class of surnames which were used by rabbinical dynasties. The other group is constituted by occupational surnames, mostly connected to crafts. Finally, the last group are generic Jewish names defined as surnames belonging to neither of the above groups. We use the self-collected database that consists of 858 and 1057 of the first two groups, respectively, and 7471 generic Jewish surnames. The statistics of the database are those of individuals drawn at random from the considered groups. We determine shares of members of the groups working in a given type of occupations together with the confidence interval. The occupational type’s definition agrees with International Standard Classification of Occupations. It is demonstrated that there is a statistically significant difference in the occupational structure of the three groups that holds beyond the uncertainty allowed by 95% confidence interval. We quantify the difference with a numerical measure of the overlap of professional preferences of different groups. We conclude that in our study the occupational bias of different population groups is preserved at least for two centuries that passed since the considered surnames appeared.

Self-Other Relationship, History and Interpretation

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arup Jyoti Sarma
Keyword(s):  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Philosophical Hermeneutics ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
Dialogical Philosophy ◽  
Relationship History ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Ethical Intent

Abstract This paper offers a critical appraisal of Gadamer’s dialogical philosophy of the self-other relationship within the context of interpretation and historical consciousness. According to Gadamer hermeneutics is a theory of interpretation or, rather, the art of interpretation. The task of philosophical hermeneutics is to narrate an ontology of human understanding with the ethical intent of restoring to interpretation a greater sense of “integrity.” The “hermeneutic universe” belongs to the individual worldviews whose structure and content are constructed on the basis of historical precedents. Gadamer situates these precedents in historicity and the tradition of culture, which are resources for their unique interpretations. Gadamer claims that interpretative understanding encounters the other in the dialogical “play” (Spiel) of an ever-unfinished event. The self and the other belong to the horizon of historical consciousness, and it is through this common horizon that the alterity of the other comes into expression.

Social Comparison: Why, With Whom, and With What Effect?

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Suls ◽  
René Martin ◽  
Ladd Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Maximum Effort ◽  
Utility Evaluation ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relative Standing ◽  
Comparison Target

Social comparison consists of comparing oneself with others in order to evaluate or to enhance some aspects of the self. Evaluation of ability is concerned with the question “Can I do X?” and relies on the existence of a proxy performer. A proxy's relative standing on attributes vis‐à‐vis the comparer and whether the proxy exerted maximum effort on a preliminary task are variables influencing his or her informational utility. Evaluation of opinions is concerned with the questions “Do I like X?”“Is X correct?” and “Will I like X?” Important variables that affect an individual's use of social comparison to evaluate his or her opinions are the other person's expertise, similarity with the individual, and previous agreement with the individual. Whether social comparison serves a self-enhancement function depends on whether the comparer assimilates or contrasts his or her self relative to superior or inferior others. The kinds of self‐knowledge made cognitively accessible and variables such as mutability of self-views and distinctiveness of the comparison target may be important determinants of assimilation versus contrast.

scholarly journals Vartovbogen 1985

1986 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-95
Author(s):  
Viggo Mortensen
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
The Other ◽  
Personal Interest ◽  
Narrative History ◽  
Strong Interest ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Individual

The Vartov Book 1985. Kirkeligt Samfunds Forlag, Copenhagen 1985.Reviewed by Viggo MortensenTwo features of this edition are given prominence in the review: the strong interest in narrative history, and in Grundtvig’s revisions of Kingo’s hymns from the 17th century. Alongside recollections of a German POW camp mention is made of a new version of Princess Leonora Christina’s “Memories of Woe” from the 17th century. Without a historical context modern man finds himself in a large, empty room. On the other hand Professor Svend Holm-Nielsen’s retelling of the patriarch, Jacob’s, story shows that the historicalcritical angle, far from destroying the story, actually enhances it. The article on Grundtvig and Kingo makes it clear that Grundtvig’s deep desire to renew the hymns for singing overrode any regard for the individual poet’s personal interest or copyright. “It is not an unreserved pleasure to be near Grundtvig, when he is passionate, ” says Rev. Jens Lyster.

scholarly journals Navigating through Resilience: Young Adults in Kuwait

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Juliet Dinkha ◽  
Aya Abdulhadi ◽  
Ayshah Al-Kandari ◽  
Saja Al-Obaid
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Probing Questions

Individual’s behaviors, mindset and personality is greatly affected by their social circle and shaped by their past experiences, leading the individual to develop resilience against stressful situations and adversaries. Such situations are mainly experienced during adolescence stage presenting an opportunity to understand how individuals think they will react to stressful times and what measures do they consider if and when crises hit. The inevitable goal of this research is to find out how and if individuals build resilience to negative situations and find themselves to express and feel happiness instead of succumbing to negative emotions and behaviors. For a better understanding of their self-resilience, we created a framework of Internal and External Resilience to guide us with the findings. This research was conducted during the early stage of the COVID-19 spread, which did not present to be a pandemic at the time and had not affected one’s life as gravely. In gathering our research, questions that will be kept in mind but are not limited to, include: how do two individuals who experience similar situations react in different ways, one left negatively affected while the other unaffected? Do past experiences make individuals more resilient to situations that they came into contact with? With those probing questions, we would be able to further understand the relationship between building resilience and experiencing hopelessness in times of crises. Keywords: resilience, adversaries, crises, hopelessness, psychological immune system

Exploring Cath Maige Tuired through the Concept of Hybridity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Tuomala
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Cultural Hybridization ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Narrative Representations ◽  
Irish Identity ◽  
Transitional Era

This chapter examines the contemporary Irish identity and social reactions to the process of cultural hybridization, as they are depicted in the late Viking-Age narrative Cath Maige Tuired. The tale is a product of a transitional era whose preoccupations and prejudices are reflected in the narrative representations of the Fomoiri and the Tuatha Dé Danann. This chapter considers Cath Maige Tuired within its historical context as a narrative of hybridity in which the pivotal cultural identities are built on an ongoing comparison between the tale’s representations of the Self and the Other. At the same time the narrative illustrates a number of other cultural concerns at the forefront of the collective intellectual consciousness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document