scholarly journals From Precariousness to Prudence: Eco-Cosmopolitanism as the Fabric for Weaving the Post-COVID World

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Nabanita Samanta
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Homo Economicus ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Willful Ignorance ◽  
Structural Roots ◽  
To Come ◽  
Capitalistic System ◽  
Limited Scope ◽  
Pushing And Pulling

In a crucial juncture when the whole world has been shattered by the reign of a tiny virus invading the apparently invincible empire of human ‘civilization’, the plaguing pandemic has brought to the fore fundamentally interconnected nature of our collective existence and consequently our shared vulnerability. COVID-19 as essentially a zoonotic disease accentuates the anthropogenic hazards inflicted on the ecosystem resulting in spilling over of such pathogens from animals to humans. It also nudges us to reflect on our fundamentally interconnected existence which we have long remained oblivious about. The prevailing obliviousness seems to have emanated from willful ignorance or selfdeceptive knowledge rooted in over-arching dictates of anthropocentrism; however on the structural front, the roots can be traced back to the capitalistic system perpetuating the ‘homo economicus’ aspirations so as to mark the unflinching triumph of the ‘Capitalocene’. While pushing and pulling ourselves to adapt to the ‘new normal’, it becomes an imperative to go beyond the myopic vision of restricting ourselves to shortterm mitigation measures like border-closure or vaccination; instead time is ripe for taking a critical and broad-based stance on the structural roots of the current pandemic such that restructuration of post-COVID world helps shoving aside such calamitous disaster in days to come. It is in this regard, a radical take on ‘cosmopolitanism’ seems the need of the hour to fill the lacunae in the existing mode of perusing interconnectedness that operates only on the surface level in the name of ‘globalization’ and overlooks the fundamental rubric of ecological integrity. While shedding some light on the nexus that this pandemic shares with the evils of capitalistic enterprise and neoliberal culture of globalized consumerism, this paper, within its limited scope, will make an attempt to find an antidote to the current crisis through endorsing an ‘eco-cosmopolitan’ worldview wherein the rationalized ‘instrumentalization’ of environment and wild animals gets overridden by an eco-centric perspective on our fundamentally interconnected existence.

scholarly journals Are We Ready for the Arrival of the New COVID-19 Vaccinations? Great Promises and Unknown Challenges Still to Come

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Davide Gori ◽  
Chiara Reno ◽  
Daniel Remondini ◽  
Francesco Durazzi ◽  
Maria Pia Fantini
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
To Come ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns ◽  
The Eu

While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to strike and collect its death toll throughout the globe, as of 31 January 2021, the vaccine candidates worldwide were 292, of which 70 were in clinical testing. Several vaccines have been approved worldwide, and in particular, three have been so far authorized for use in the EU. Vaccination can be, in fact, an efficient way to mitigate the devastating effect of the pandemic and offer protection to some vulnerable strata of the population (i.e., the elderly) and reduce the social and economic burden of the current crisis. Regardless, a question is still open: after vaccination availability for the public, will vaccination campaigns be effective in reaching all the strata and a sufficient number of people in order to guarantee herd immunity? In other words: after we have it, will we be able to use it? Following the trends in vaccine hesitancy in recent years, there is a growing distrust of COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition, the online context and competition between pro- and anti-vaxxers show a trend in which anti-vaccination movements tend to capture the attention of those who are hesitant. Describing this context and analyzing its possible causes, what interventions or strategies could be effective to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy? Will social media trend analysis be helpful in trying to solve this complex issue? Are there perspectives for an efficient implementation of COVID-19 vaccination coverage as well as for all the other vaccinations?

scholarly journals The ‘Greening’ of Christian Monasticism and the Future of Monastic Landscapes in North America

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Jason M. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Environmental Discourse ◽  
Reform Movements ◽  
Desert Fathers ◽  
The Future ◽  
Management Schemes ◽  
Monastic Communities ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Limited Scope

Christian monasticism has an ancient land-based foundation. The desert fathers and later reform movements appealed to the land for sustenance, spiritual metaphor, and as a marker of authentic monastic identity. Contemporary Roman Catholic monastics with this history in mind, have actively engaged environmental discourse in ways that draw from their respective monastic lineages, a process sociologist Stephen Ellingson calls ‘bridging’. Though this study is of limited scope, this bridging between monastic lineages and environmental discourse could cautiously be identified with the broader phenomenon of the ‘greening’ of Christianity. Looking to the future, while the footprint of North American monastic communities is quite small, and their numbers are slowly declining, a variety of conservation-minded management schemes implemented since the 1990s by some communities suggests that the impact will remain for many decades to come.

scholarly journals Effect of Solar Canals on Evaporation, Water Quality, and Power Production: An Optimization Study

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherine El Baradei ◽  
Mai Al Sadeq
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Optimum Conditions ◽  
Water Quality Variables ◽  
Optimization Study ◽  
New Energy ◽  
To Come

Both energy and availability of water with good quality are essential for the well-being of humans. Thus, it is very important to study the parameters that would affect water quality, so as to come up with mitigation measures if water quality would be at risk or negatively affected. Moreover, it is very important to always search for new energy resources, especially if they are renewable. This research study is concerned with studying solar canals and their effect on evaporation and water quality variables of canals covered by solar cells, as well as the effect on power production. Both a mathematical model and an optimization study were done, in order to determine the previously mentioned effects, and thus, to determine the most favorable covering percentage of the case study canal’s area that would lead to minimum evaporation volumes, maximum power, and yet preserving and meeting the standards of the water quality variables of the covered waterway. Water quality variables that were investigated are dissolved oxygen concentration, algae, nutrients, and pH of the water. It was found that, between 33% and 50% covering of the canal, the optimum conditions will be met.

scholarly journals Economics of Genesis: On the Institutional Economic Deciphering and Reconstruction of the Stories of the Bible

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Institutional Economics ◽  
Homo Economicus ◽  
Institutional Economic ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Incentive Structures ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
To Come ◽  
Book Of Genesis

The article traces in the book of Genesis (1) theoretical and (2) methodic elements of an institutional economics: (la) the idea of capital contribution-distribution interactions as model of social exchange; (lb) the idea of incentive structures as model of an institutional regulative for social exchange; (1c) the practical-normative goal of pareto-superiority (mutuality of gains) as desired interaction outcome; (2a) the methodic concept of conflicting and common interests in contribution-distribution interactions (the idea of a dilemma structure, or “war of all”, as Hobbes called it); and (2b) the methodic concept of self-interested choice behaviour (the homo economicus, or “methodological individualism” as Hayek referred to it). On these grounds, Genesis is deciphered and reconstructed in institutional economic terms. The article develops and explores the hypotheses (i) that the stories of Genesis reflect an intense interest and attempt to come to terms with the institutional problem: of how to ensure cooperation in social interactions, and (ii) that the stories of Genesis address the institutional problem in economic terms, examining social conflict as capital contribution-distribution interactions, advising on the pareto-effectiveness of conflict resolution in relation to incentive structures, and methodically grounding analysis in the ideas of the dilemma structure and the homo economicus. An economic reconstruction of Genesis questions conventional theological suggestions on the role and extent to which the Bible invokes metaphysical concepts and metaphysical intervention for analyzing and solving social problems.

Trump, Putin, and the Future of US-Russian Relations

Slavic Review ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (S1) ◽  
pp. S41-S56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Rutland
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
American Politics ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
The Future ◽  
Structural Roots ◽  
Us Hegemony ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Trump Administration

This article traces the structural roots of the current crisis in US-Russia relations (the weakening of US hegemony and the resurgence of Russian power), and chronicles the series of contingencies that accompanied Donald Trump's rise to the presidency and his chaotic first few months in office. The details of Russia's influence over the results of the election through the release of hacked Democratic Party emails, and over the composition and policy of the new Trump Administration, are still emerging. The chances of a “grand bargain” between Trump and Putin look increasingly remote, however. Russia's efforts to dabble in American politics seem to have blown back, and made rapprochement between Moscow and Washington more difficult. This is unfortunate, since cooperation between the two sides to resolve a number of pressing global problems, from the wars in Ukraine and Syria to climate change, is urgently needed.

scholarly journals A Modular Microarray Imaging System for Highly Specific COVID-19 Antibody Testing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Niklas Hedde ◽  
Timothy J. Abram ◽  
Aarti Jain ◽  
Rie Nakajima ◽  
Rafael Ramiro de Assis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Imaging Device ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Finger Prick ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
To Come

AbstractTo detect the presence of antibodies in blood against SARS-CoV-2 in a highly sensitive and specific manner, here we describe a robust, inexpensive ($200), 3D-printable portable imaging platform (TinyArray imager) that can be deployed immediately in areas with minimal infrastructure to read coronavirus antigen microarrays (CoVAMs) that contain a panel of antigens from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-1, MERS, and other respiratory viruses. Application includes basic laboratories and makeshift field clinics where a few drops of blood from a finger prick could be rapidly tested in parallel for the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 with a test turnaround time of only 2-4 h. To evaluate our imaging device, we probed and imaged coronavirus microarrays with COVID-19-positive and negative sera and achieved a performance on par with a commercial microarray reader 100x more expensive than our imaging device. This work will enable large scale serosurveillance, which can play an important role in the months and years to come to implement efficient containment and mitigation measures, as well as help develop therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals The Sciences During the New Common: A Missed Opportunity?

2021 ◽  
pp. 111-116
Author(s):  
Maurits Kaptein
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
The Future ◽  
Long Time ◽  
To Come ◽  
Missed Opportunity ◽  
Do So

AbstractBy Wednesday, July 22, 2020, the coronavirus had killed over 611,000 people and infected over fourteen million globally. It devastated lives and will continue to do so for a long time to come; the economic consequences of the pandemic are only just starting to materialize. This makes it a challenging time to write about the new common. However, we need to start somewhere. At some point, we need to reflect on our own roles, the roles of our institutions, the importance of our economy, and the future fabric of everyday life. In this chapter, I will discuss one minor—and compared to the current crisis seemingly inconsequential—aspect of the new common: I will discuss my worry that we are on the verge of missing the opportunity to properly (re-)define the role of the sciences as we move from our old to our new common.

scholarly journals Fernanda Ferreira -- Fame: I'm Skeptical (2017)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Research Integrity ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Underrepresented Groups ◽  
Excellent Research ◽  
Excellent Work ◽  
Crisis In Psychology ◽  
Broadening Participation ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Right

Fame is often deserved, emerging from a person’s significant and timely contributions to science. It is also true that fame and quality clearly sometimes diverge: many people who do excellent work are barely known, and some people are famous even though their work is mediocre. Reliance on fame and name recognition when identifying psychologists as candidates for honors and awards helps to perpetuate a range of stereotypes and prevents us from broadening participation in our field, particularly from women and underrepresented groups. The pursuit of fame may also be contributing to the current crisis in psychology concerning research integrity, because it incentivizes quantity and speed in publishing. The right attitude towards fame is to use it wisely if it happens to come, but to focus our efforts on conducting excellent research and nurturing talent in others.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Alexander Sarch
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Willful Ignorance ◽  
Normative Foundation ◽  
The Law ◽  
To Come

This introduction outlines the general questions to be investigated in Criminally Ignorant: Why the Law Pretends We Know What We Don’t and provides a roadmap of the arguments to come. The overarching aim of the book is to defend a theory of when and why the criminal law may legitimately impute mental states on the basis of equal culpability. This helps place the existing willful ignorance doctrine on a more secure normative foundation, while at the same time revealing the pressing need for doctrinal reforms. The overall project is not limited to willful ignorance, however. The normative idea behind the willful ignorance doctrine—that we may impute missing mental states to defendants on equal culpability grounds—is surprisingly fertile, and, if taken seriously, grounds an array of further imputation principles. The book thus seeks to develop a theory that places the idea of equal culpability imputation on solid theoretical footing, while also demarcating its proper boundaries.

The Philosophical Conception of a Constitution for the Earth

Human Affairs ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Šmajs
Keyword(s):  
Wishful Thinking ◽  
Natural Evolution ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Artificial System ◽  
Human Culture ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
To Come

AbstractFor almost fifty years scholars have expressed their concern for the future existence of mankind and proposed ways of securing life in the years to come. Most of the declarations made by these movements do not, however, constitute viable instructions for change: they are rather moral discussion papers, containing much wishful thinking, or a list of flaws people are perceived to commit in their relation to Nature. All noble sentiments and efforts to understand and resolve the current crisis while ignoring the split of the planet into two opposing systems-Culture and Nature-are doomed to failure. The currently prevailing anthropocentric vision of the world is incorrect, not only in its details and in its specific arguments, but also in its deepest underlying principles-in short, in its entirety.That is this draft of a Constitution for the Earth is based on the ontological assumption that human Culture is not a continuation of natural evolution by different means. Culture is an artificial system opposing Nature. If it were set as Nature is in a biophilous, life-reverencing way, then Culture’s self-activity would grow in a desirable way. Culture would respect Nature and both systems would co-operate at a new level.

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