Islamic Reformation and the Tools of Ijtihad

This chapter argues that jurists can employ various tools like public welfare and the principle of no harm to either modify earlier legal enactments or formulate new ones. It contends that these devices can provide only partial and temporary amendments to existing legal injunctions. The chapter also examines the role of custom (‘urf) in the reformation process and shows that the Qur’an presumes that its legal rulings will be understood based on prevalent customary practices and values. Contemporary jurists who insist on enforcing earlier edicts are, in effect, validating pre-Islamic Arabian cultural values and imposing them on contemporary Muslims. The chapter also argues that some of the laws that were instituted in a distinct cultural context will have to be revised especially when they encounter a different cultural framework. It also explores how local custom that is endorsed by people of sound mind can legislate laws in today’s diasporic context.

F.M. Dostoevsky on the Reasons for "Remarkable Dislike" Europe to Russia

The relevance of the article is due to the authors attempt to apply some of the philosophical concepts of F.M. Dostoevsky to the comprehension of contemporary sociocultural reality. The purpose of this study is to clarify the reasons for the historically unfriendly attitude of Europe towards Russia by analyzing the works of F.M. Dostoevsky dedicated to this problem. In the process of writing the article, the published Diaries of the writer were used; diary entries unpublished during the writer's life; philosophical reflections contained in works of art, as well as applied modern scientific and popular science literature dedicated to the work of F.M. Dostoevsky. In the course of the analysis, it was found that the writer considered historical, confessional and moral reasons to be the main factors in the rejection of Russia by Europe, while he especially singled out disinterestedness incomprehensible to Europe as a characteristic of the Russian people. The authors draws attention to the fact that all the reasons for Europe's "remarkable dislike" for Russia, about which F.M. Dostoevsky, directly or indirectly associated with the Orthodox faith. Therefore, an attempt to actualize the worldview heritage of the great writer will certainly lead us to a dilemma: either to move from thoughts and words to actions, to religiously enlighten both ourselves and Europe; or to enclose our Orthodox heritage in a historical and cultural framework, eliminating the source of the reasons for our rejection by the European public, with all the ensuing consequences.

Questioning Nature in Late Middle Ages. A History of Method, Praxis and Innovation

This essay traces the interconnections between method, praxis and innovation with their epistemological consequences at the end of the Middle Ages. In the wake of scholastic natural philosophy, this vibrant process marks a milestone in the history of science. During the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries a profound transformation takes place in the way of observing nature through a meticulous data collection, experiments and subsequent analysis. In this cultural framework, the Franciscans analyze the realities of the world with an extremely original pragmatic dynamism. This approach gives priority to a practical sense of thinking through a transformative action which opens the doors to a pioneering scientific method and contributes to a long series of innovations. A positive result is an advanced didactics—especially developed by Buridan, Oresme and their followers —that will have a great impact on a continental level, changing the common ground of European science.

Unpacking Strategic Behavior in Cyberspace: A Schema-Driven Approach

The contemporary literature on cybersecurity and related interstate interactions often cites the need to overcome uncertainty due to an inherent deficit of information about cyber operations. While this notion continues to appear relevant in studies that advance our understanding of state behavior in cyberspace, noticeable gaps remain. These gaps particularly stem from the limited utility of cyber operations to shift the balance of strategic power between states or to signal intent and resolve effectively. In response, this article advances a cognitive-cultural framework wherein behavior reflects preferences derived from schema usage. Using cross-national wargames, the article illustrates the schematic use of strategic culture as a basis for deriving strategic objectives and the means with which these are achieved. Consequently, the article serves as the initial foray in expanding our understanding of interstate behavior in cyberspace.

Ricoeur and Cheng’s Parallel Reconciliations of the Right and the Good

Drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s “little ethics” and Chung-ying Cheng’s work on Confucian and Kantian ethics, this essay reinforces the broad outlines of a cross- cultural framework for reconciling conflicts between the good and the right, teleology and deontology, and perfectionism and liberalism so that we can recognize dynamic concerns across the grand sweep of moral life. Ricoeur and Cheng describe roughly parallel sets of relations and highlight similar dynamics among three planes of ethical life.

Influence of Basic Actors in Globalization in Developing and Post-Soviet Countries on the Example of Georgia

In the 21st century, globalization is becoming more and more extensive as a phenomenon. The article discusses the popularization of globalization and its transformation as a world dilemma caused by new world rules. The aim of our research is to determine what kind of impact globalization has had, because judging by the example of our country, the country has undergone a transformation as well as political, economic, cultural, and social factors. One of the main integration processes is the goal of bringing individual groups into a single social and cultural framework of self-identification, which has become irreversible and poses a major problem for the identity of countries, as well as economic, social, political stability and security of the population. In this article, we use the following research methods: Qualitative research methods, which include a qualitative study of written documents, focus groups, monographic research, etc. A specific case study, on the example of Georgia, the same Case study method that helped us to better study and analyze the facts. The processes of globalization have somewhat reduced the sovereignty of states. Modern states are powerless to control or deal with globalization, to reduce or limit its scope. However, this did not lead to the destruction of the states. By the way, some states have become more powerful. This is especially noticeable in the example of post-Soviet countries, one of the highlights of which is Georgia. Globalization, like all events, has its pros and cons, but the most worthy positive side of globalization is that it has created and established independent and sovereign states that are becoming stronger day by day in the scientific, social, cultural, political, and economic spheres. Keywords: Independence, Georgia, Globalization, Post-Soviet Country, State.

Tipe Hunian dan Karakteristik Budaya Sampungian di Situs Gua Lawa, Ponorogo

Settlement Type and Characteristic of ‘Sampung Culture’ at Lawa Cave Site, Ponorogo. Lawa Cave, located in Sampung (Ponorogo, East Java), is an eponym site for the Sampungian culture. Its status within the cultural framework of the Javanese prehistory remains unclear. This article aims to reveal the type and characteristic of settlement in Lawa Cave, including its position within the historical framework of cave habitation in the archipelago. The descriptive-explanative approach reveals that the distribution of artifacts in Lawa Cave shows a distinctive feature. The bifacial arrowhead reported by Callenfels is associated with bone and pebbles (milling stones) in a relatively thick unit of cultural layer. Based on the emergence of milling stones, the inhabitants of Lawa Cave may have known simple agricultural activities through processing wild plants as their food source. Based on this, Sampungian can be categorized as part of the Para-Neolithic culture, which is also found in several sites in Mainland Southeast Asia. Abstrak. Gua Lawa yang berada di Sampung (Ponorogo, Jawa Timur) merupakan situs eponim bagi budaya Sampungian yang statusnya di dalam kerangka kebudayaan prasejarah Pulau Jawa masih belum jelas. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap tipe hunian dan karakteristik budaya Sampungian di Gua Lawa serta kaitannya dengan sejarah perkembangan hunian gua di Nusantara. Melalui pendekatan deskriptif-eksplanatif terlihat bahwasannya distribusi artefak di Gua Lawa menunjukkan suatu ciri khas tersendiri. Himpunan artefak mata panah bifasial, sebagaimana pertama kali dilaporkan oleh Callenfels, faktanya berasosiasi dengan artefak tulang dan kerakal pada suatu unit lapisan budaya yang cukup tebal. Berdasarkan kemunculan artefak kerakalpenggerus, diperkirakan masyarakat penghuni Gua Lawa telah mengenal aktivitas agrikultur sederhana melalui pengolahan tumbuhan liar tertentu sebagai sumber pangan mereka. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, Sampungian dapat dikategorikan sebagai bagian dari budaya Para-Neolitik yang juga dijumpai pada sejumlah situs di Asia Tenggara Daratan.

Epic Tradition and Sophistic Innovation in the ‘Shame Culture’ of Thucydides’ Dialogue of the Melii and the Athenians

This paper aims at adding new pieces to the complex patchwork of knowledge on ‘shame’ in the ancient Greek world by analysing the meanings and the cultural framework of the terms αἰσχύνη and αἰσχρός in the Dialogue of the Melians of Thucydides. The contribution sheds light on the role played by the traditional concept of shame, mostly witnessed by the Homeric poems, in the elaboration of the concept made by the Athenians in accordance with the sophistic cultural climate of the second half of the fifth century BCE.

POSITIONING ARCHITECTURE IN CULTURE

Architecture could be defined as the relation of form-function-meaning in a cultural framework. This paper aimed to understand the position of architecture in culture. The method used was correlation and interpretation. Correlation method connected architectural forms with cultural forms, while interpretation method provided an interpretation of the relationship between the two, and the position of architecture in culture. The results showed that architecture as part of culture had almost the same form between the two. Architectural term included forms, functions, meanings, and ideas, while cultural term included physical culture, behavior patterns or social, value, and ideas systems. The architectural form became part of the physical form of culture, the architectural function became part of the form of social cultural system, the architectural meaning became part of the cultural value system, and the architectural ideas became part of the cultural ideas systems

Do I Sound Like a Broken Record?

Radio is all about intimacy and words (Balsebre, 1994). Since radio’s significant shift from verbal to musical content, songs have been able to create a special bond between broadcasters and audiences across the world. Nevertheless, selecting songs is far from being an innocent choice; it is part of a cultural framework (Ala-Fossi, 2005; Gjerdingen & Perrott 2008). Recently, scholars explained radio’s alliances with the music industry and the adaptation to audiences’ preferences (Kaplan, 2013; Uimonen, 2017), thus arguing that the music in radios’ playlists is far from diverse, especially on stations owned by the private sector. This article draws upon the premise that a more comprehensive approach towards this topic is needed. Inspired by previous studies on commercial radio musical policies (Uimonen, 2011; Hellman & Vikko 2019), this research makes use of a methodological tool to characterize music diversity in the two most popular Portuguese commercial radio broadcasters. After two weeks of observation, in March 2020, the authors of this article analysed 2366 song entries, concluding that the general policies for the playlists seem to be similar: a typical predominance of international singers/bands, male artists and English-spoken songs, including the overwhelming presence of worldwide labels associated to the majority of the songs. However, these national broadcasting stations seem to have their own set of artists, especially when it comes to Portuguese singers/bands. Future research should aim at analysing artists’ and broadcasters’ views on this cultural framework, as a way to expand the possibilities of understanding this complex and decisive topic within radio broadcasting and music industries.