‘Thinking Ontologically’: Ontology Development as the Basis for the Systematic Analysis of a Corpus of Late Antique Aramaic Magic Texts

This article describes the process of developing an ontology of the domain of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic magic bowls and offers some reflections on its significance in the analysis of these materials. Examples are highlighted to illustrate where the work builds on existing conceptualisations of the domain in secondary literature and where magical and religious materials from the Ancient Near East might stimulate some specialised extension of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (ICOM/CIDOC Documentation Standards Group, 2020). The analogy of ‘bridge building’ is offered as a way for humanities researchers to conceive of the work to produce ontologies of specific domains. This reflection is intended to capture the experience of ‘thinking ontologically’ about sources for the first time and of overcoming misconceptions about the nature and significance of this work.

Paris–Rome–London. Information and Propaganda Campaign for the Polish Question prior to the Great War (1907–14)

The article reconstructs Polish information and propaganda campaigns in Western Europe in the run-up to the Great War. Those initiatives allowed the issues related to the Polish question, especially the persecution of Poles under the Prussian and Russian partitions, to be brought to public attention in the West. The authors trace the process of disseminating information to the intellectual communities of Paris, Rome and London based on participant accounts, reports, propaganda pamphlets, the press from the period and secondary literature. They conclude that propaganda campaigns reached a relatively narrow group of intellectuals, writers, members of the artistic community, journalists, and to a lesser extent, parliamentarians. Although the information campaign could not immediately alter the previously established stereotypes, its specific effects could be observed during the Great War and at the Paris Peace Conference.

METODE DEMONSTRASI (BURHAN) DALAM FILSAFAT ISLAM

This paper aims to analyze Islamic philosophy's demonstration (burha>n). Demonstration (burha>n) is the method of all schools of Islamic philosophy from Peripatetic, Illumination to Wisdom Muta'aliyah. Without demonstration (burha>n), philosophy is no more extended philosophy and turns to the debate of theologians. The consistent peripatetic Islamic philosophy maintains this method of discovering (context of discovery) the propositions discussed in Islamic philosophy. Illumination philosophy then adds an intuitive approach. The Muta'aliyah Hikmah school also added another source: the Koran and witnessing (kasyaf). The purpose of the study is to describe the function of Burhan to epistemology and spirituality by using the general hermeneutic to the primary and secondary literature of Islamic philosophy books, especially the corpus of the Hikmah Muta'aliyah and neo peripatetic schools. The research framework is the position of reason, and the laws of thought are called logic, and the purpose of logic is an argument; analogy, syllogism, and induction. burha>n is a particular syllogism. The conclusion of the demonstration (burha>n) contains three layers of structure; foundations, problems, and subjects, and requires a foundation developed from various sciences.

Moral Obligation to Worship God Alone

This article examines how, in his al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) addresses the problem of the obligation to thank the benefactor (wujūb shukr al-munʿim) within the context of the Quranic command to worship God alone. The obligation to thank one’s benefactor was a contentious problem among classical Islamic thinkers before Rāzī, and it was frequently discussed in fiqh and kalām works in the context of the ontology and epistemology of moral values and legal norms. Rāzī’s analysis in the Tafsīr, however, sheds light on another way in which the “thanking one’s benefactor”-problem was of relevance for classical Islamic thinkers: it is used to frame the rationale for monotheism in terms of the gratitude God deserves for being humans’ provider. This aspect of the “thanking one’s benefactor”-problem has not been highlighted in the secondary literature. This article discusses how Rāzī’s analysis of God’s sole deservedness of worship has theological, legal, and ethical/moral implications. The theological implications are found in the questions it raises about the notorious problem of causality. The legal implications become apparent in Rāzī’s interest in the ratio legis of the Quranic command and in establishing that the obligation arises with God’s sovereign decree. The ethical or moral implications, finally, are seen in his concern with how humans come to know of the goodness of monotheism and the repugnancy of polytheism. The article contextualises Rāzī’s position in the Tafsīr against the background of the fiqh and kalām debates about the “thanking one’s benefactor”-problem.

The Leadership Traits: Analysing the Role of Harpreet Singh Bedi in the Film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

This descriptive and analytical paper on leader traits of Harpreet Singh Bedi, protagonist of the film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year aims to identify leader traits of Bedi and study its impact on organization, employees and customers. The paper comprises of extensive secondary literature on leaderships traits and critical analysis of the film in order to establish the link between positive leadership, organization and customer satisfaction. A highly motivated and positive leader influence and motivates his team, helps the business to grow, organization to flourish and customers to remain satisfied and loyal.

Datio ob rem and datio ob causam – the purpose of performance in Roman law

Summary This paper deals with one of the most important unjustified enrichment claims in Roman law, the condictio causa data causa non secuta concentrating on the crucial issue of the purpose of performance. In Roman law the purpose of performance was denoted by the term res as a part of datio ob rem (giving for a purpose) or causa as a part of datio ob causam (giving on a basis); however, in the secondary literature there is a dispute over the exact meaning of those terms and their mutual relationship. Some scholars identify res with the counter-performance which was expected from the recipient. Others consider this interpretation of res as too narrow, because datio ob rem was applied not only where the giver expected counter-performance but also when he tried to achieve other goals, including that not associated with the recipient’s behaviour at all. In order to find a solution to that long-lasting dispute the article analyses typical examples of cases described in the sources as datio ob rem or datio ob causam.

IR, imperialism, and the Global South: From Libya to Venezuela

This article brings together two cases to contribute to the growing body of literature rethinking the study of international relations (IR) and the Global South: The Libyan Arab al-Jamāhīrīyah and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Drawing on media representations and secondary literature from IR and international political economy (IPE), it critically examines three main conceptual theses (authoritarian, rentier, and rogue) used to describe the historical socio-political formations of these states up to this date. Mixing oil abundance with authoritarian revolutionary fervour and foreign policy adventurism, Libya and Venezuela have been progressively reduced to the figure of one man, while presenting their current crises as localized processes delinked from the imperialist inter-state system. The article argues that these analyses, if left unquestioned, perpetuate a US-led imperial ordering of the world, while foreclosing and discrediting alternatives to capitalist development emerging from and grounded in a Global South context. In doing so, the article contributes to the growing and controversial debate on the meanings and needs for decolonizing the study of IR.

'Real-world' clinical trials in diabetes care: meaningful or meaningless?

So-called 'real-world' studies seem increasingly popular in diabetes care, as are the economic evaluations in secondary literature based upon them. The term is usually used for pharmacoepidemiological uncontrolled observational studies of different designs. Interpretation of the study findings is, however, badly undermined by the very reasons that the randomised controlled blinded study was invented – namely, non-medication study effects and biases in investigator selection and behaviour. In diabetes studies, glucose control seems particularly susceptible to such effects, perhaps through changes in patient motivation and education. Further, insulin studies are heavily influenced by baseline factors such as the site of starting insulin, the health circumstances of the patient at the time and the clinician involved. It is rare to see these issues adequately addressed or attempts made to understand their influence. In this article an attempt is made to discuss some of the issues further.

Conceptualising Office

The chapter examines what early modern Britons understood by ‘office’ and its relationship with corruption. It adopts a broad definition of office, since the boundary between ‘public’ and ‘private’ office was something worked out during the period 1600–1850, and office in a mercantile corporation such as the East India Company was something of a hybrid. The discussion traces the evolution over the period of the notion of ‘public office’ and highlights a landmark legal case in 1783 that defined misconduct in public office. The second half of the chapter examines the secondary literature on office and seeks to connect work on ‘modern’ conceptions of office, which is often seen as emerging from the 1780s onwards, with research into earlier ideas and practices.

Efforts to Disrupt the Authoritarian Equilibrium within the EU. Effects and Counter-effects

The study, leaning on the concept of ‘authoritarian equilibrium’ introduced by R. Daniel Kelemen on the one hand, and new intergovernmentalism as a fresh theoretical approach of the European integration on the other hand, investigates if we can talk about the disruption of the ‘authoritarian equilibrium’ as a consequence of the split up between Fidesz and the EPP, and the adoption of the rule of law conditionality mechanism. In other words, whether we can talk about an initial authoritarian dis-equilibrium? Or can we rather talk about a converse process due to the mechanisms of new intergovernmentalism resulting in the further stabilisation of authoritarian governments and the ineffectiveness of the EU measures devoted to the protection of rule of law? Using qualitative resource analysis of the relevant secondary literature and the documents and legal acts of the EU and its institutions the paper comes to the conclusion that while we have witnessed efforts to disrupt the partisan and the financial support of the Hungarian governing party, these efforts were neutralised by the mechanisms of new intergovernmentalism and as a consequence we still cannot talk about an initial authoritarian disequilibrium in the EU.