Enhancing the Imago Dei: Can a Christian Be a Transhumanist?

Transhumanism is an ideology that embraces the use of various forms of biotechnology to enhance human beings toward the emergence of a “posthuman” kind. In this article, I contrast some of the foundational tenets of Transhumanism with those of Christianity, primarily focusing on their respective anthropologies—that is, their diverse understandings of whether there is an essential nature shared by all human persons and, if so, whether certain features of human nature may be intentionally altered in ways that contribute toward how each views human flourishing. A central point of difference concerns Transhumanists’ aim of attaining “substrate independence” for the human mind, such that one’s consciousness could be uploaded into a cybernetic environment. Christian anthropology, on the other hand, considers embodiment, with its characteristics of vulnerability and finitude, to be an essential feature of human nature—hence, Christians’ belief in bodily resurrection. Despite Christianity and Transhumanism having fundamental differences, I contend that Christians may support moderate forms of enhancement oriented toward supporting our flourishing as living, sentient, social, and rational animals.

Social Entrepreneurship: rethinking theoretical assumptions

Most of the Social Entrepreneurship (SE) literature derives its theoretical assumptions from the field of entrepreneurship in general, and more broadly, from modern economic theory. However, some thinkers notice significant gaps in existing theory and try to conceptualise SE incorporating some missing elements. In this theoretical paper, we explain the origins of contemporary SE concepts, analyse the significant contemporary SE works of leading thinkers and their theoretical assumptions. We also specify major shortcomings in existing concepts and demonstrate the possibility of filling gaps by realism, especially Aristotle’s philosophy. His distinctive realist view of human beings, including entrepreneurs, and his broader view on economics allows us to understand the essential nature of entrepreneurship, providing unique insights regarding the intellectual-volitional faculties of the social entrepreneur.

Avicennian reсeption of Aristotle’s philosophical psychology: the definition of the soul

In the encyclopedic treatise, the ash-Shifā’ (“The Healing”), the most prominent philosopher of classical Islam Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980–1037) has substantially revised the Aristotelian teaching about the soul. In the first instance, this revision is evident in terms of orientation to a strictly apodictic epistemology and to a synthesis of the Aristotelian teaching with Islamic monotheism. Following this second trend, Ibn Sina supplies the psychology with new dimensions – cosmological, angelological, prophetological and eschatological (more precisely, soteriological). The first book of the “Psychology” (an-Nafs) mainly deals with the notion of the soul. Ibn Sina comments on the traditional peripatetic definition of the soul with relation to the doctrine of the souls of the celestial spheres. In this context is highlighted the operational rather than the essential nature of this qualification and is also given its other modification. While analyzing the three classical characteristics of the soul (i.e. “potency”, “form” and “entelechy” – the realization of potentia), the philosopher justifies the “entelechy” as the most adequate term for it.

The Dharma of Non-duality

This final chapter follows the sutra’s storyline through its best-known story, in which Vimalakirti challenges thirty-two bodhisattvas to present an articulate account of the non-dual nature of reality. Describing the primary lines of their statements, we learn of the non-duality between self and others, between purity and impurity, between us and them, between the human and the non-human, and between Mahayana and Hinayana. The Buddhist teachings on emptiness, dependent arising, and no-self are shown to account for the persistent non-duality proclaimed in the sutra. By way of these teachings, all dichotomies are declared to be empty of a permanent, essential nature. The chapter concludes with reflection on Vimalakirti’s famous silence in response to the question of non-duality.

Tātai Tara, Genealogical Storying: A Foundation of Decolonisation in Oceania

<p>This thesis reads Patricia Grace's Baby No-eyes, and Albert Wendt's The Adventures of Vela and The Mango's Kiss to highlight the essential nature of tātai tara (genealogical storying) in the decolonisation of Oceanian identity. Central to the thesis is a personal mythology, a kind of memoir that recounts some of the author's foundational stories in the form of prose and poetry. The first core chapter deals with a discussion of post-colonial 'skins', the things that we believe are part of ourselves that essentially come from being socialised in a colonial culture. The chapter “Skeletons”, explores the family secrets that give rise to shame that is intergenerational. Finally, Flesh and Blood demonstrates the powerful nature of reclaiming family stories as a way of re-education and healing. Ultimately, the thesis aims at an understanding of tātai tara, a process that happens whether we are aware of it or not, and how the individual is a creator of his or her own identity through the level of engagement with the stories.</p>

Tātai Tara, Genealogical Storying: A Foundation of Decolonisation in Oceania

<p>This thesis reads Patricia Grace's Baby No-eyes, and Albert Wendt's The Adventures of Vela and The Mango's Kiss to highlight the essential nature of tātai tara (genealogical storying) in the decolonisation of Oceanian identity. Central to the thesis is a personal mythology, a kind of memoir that recounts some of the author's foundational stories in the form of prose and poetry. The first core chapter deals with a discussion of post-colonial 'skins', the things that we believe are part of ourselves that essentially come from being socialised in a colonial culture. The chapter “Skeletons”, explores the family secrets that give rise to shame that is intergenerational. Finally, Flesh and Blood demonstrates the powerful nature of reclaiming family stories as a way of re-education and healing. Ultimately, the thesis aims at an understanding of tātai tara, a process that happens whether we are aware of it or not, and how the individual is a creator of his or her own identity through the level of engagement with the stories.</p>

The essential nature of and continued need for health systems to prioritize the medication-use process

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles , AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Exploring the racial habitus through John’s story: On race, class and adaptation

This article puts Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual tool habitus to work alongside Sara Ahmed’s theory of racialization to conceptualize a racial habitus that is durable but not totally determining. The racial habitus is applied to the narrative account of John, a Black-Caribbean man from North East London, who finds himself a ‘fish out of water’ within a racist society, which confronts him with the reality that he must actively acquire new dispositions, sensibilities and cultural capital, in order to survive. This article explores the cost of this adaptation for people such as John and the uneven processes that enabled his constrained adaptation. It is argued that people such as John are forced to ‘carve’ themselves out against the backdrop of dominant racist discourse in complex and creative ways that highlight the constrained but non-essential nature of racial subjectivities. In doing so, this article argues against perceptions that Pierre Bourdieu is a structural determinist through offering empirically-driven insights that highlight his oft-ignored complex positions on agency.

Antitrust Immunities for intellectual rights through the lens of the constitutional norms

Article discusses the need or no need of antimonopoly immunities for intellectual rights in the antimonopoly legislation of the Russian Federation. This issue is investigated in the article from the point of view of the provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, based on the analysis of the validity of the existence of antimonopoly immunities by the fundamental principles of the legislation of the Russian Federation. In particular, the author touches upon the issue of the relationship between 8, 32 and 44 articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which establish the foundations of antimonopoly legislation and legislation on intellectual rights. The author also examines the issue of the essential nature of antitrust immunities in relation to intellectual rights.

Problematics of Determining Interest in Peer-to-peer Lending in Indonesia

Peer-to-peer lending is considered as the solution for people who require loans with easy terms. However, peer-to-peer lending in Indonesia causes some new problem related to the essential nature of it. Authorization of Indonesian Joint Funding Fintech (AFPI) determines peer-to-peer lending interest-debt possible to violate competition law in Indonesia. The paper aims to describe and analyze the authorization of Indonesian Joint Funding Fintech, which has a big chance to harm competition law in Indonesia. The author uses normative legal research methods and secondary data sources to examine the topic in this study. The result shows that the arrangement of interest-debt in peer-to-peer lending potentially creates a cartel and violates the basic principles of competition law in Indonesia.