Means of speech characteristics of the stage image in the context of decoding the signal space contemporary performances

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of speech characteristics in the context of the disclosure of the plot-content aspect of the performance of postmodern aesthetics. Methodology. A typological and systematic method is used to study the creative mechanisms of the actor's creation of the speech characteristic of the image in the context of the peculiarities of the aesthetics of postmodernism; cognitive method, thanks to which theoretical positions in the field of language psychology and speech therapy are extrapolated to the field of theatrical art; method oftheoretical generalization, etc. Scientific novelty. The influence of postmodernist theater tendencies on the process of the actor's voice work on the creation of the image – the development and implementation of speech features of the character; the peculiarities of the process of decoding the sign system of a modern production on the basis of the interpretation of the speech characteristic of the images created by the actors are analyzed. Conclusions. The verbal characteristic of the image contributes to the actor's representation of certain internal characteristics of the character, his emotional state, deep reaction to events and/or actions of other characters, changes in lifestyle and worldview, etc., and in the context of postmodern aesthetics, when stage texts double coding" – a complex phenomenon of postmodernism, artistic and aesthetic means of which in theatrical art is a synthesis of different languages and codes of literature and philosophy in a holistic hypertext of performance, contribute to the understanding and comprehension of semantic aspects of theatrical production. The actor's use of elements of speech characteristic contributes to the expansion of his professional speech competence, the diversity of speech sound of the stage word. The components of speech characteristics can act as expressive means that reveal important aspects of the character; the necessary form of revealing the internal content of the stage image; an important element of the psychophysical structure of the role; an artistic technique that enhances the expressive possibilities of the stage word, and, accordingly, helps to form verbal symbolic means of expressing the artistic meanings of the performance. In our opinion, for the organic process of forming the stage image in general and the speech characteristics of the character in particular, the actor must not only expand his attention, observation, and ability to understand and comprehend the psychological and social causes of human behavior, but also deepen knowledge of psycholinguistics and speech therapy. Because only the organic combination of these factors contributes to the design of optimal stage speech, which corresponds to the concept of each specific performance.

The Resurrection and Unborn Beings: The Seeds of a Materialist Emergence Proposal

This article looks at how two apparently unrelated issues—the afterlife and reproductive loss—turn out to be interrelated in complex theological and ethical ways. Eschatology is important to address, because how one thinks about resurrected bodies in the afterlife has implications for how one treats bodies that procreate in this life. Rethinking the notion of personhood lies at the heart of clarifying the nature of the resurrection. This article presents a theological anthropology that draws from the recent philosophical theory known as emergence. This theory allows us to conceptualize the resurrection of the “spiritual body” as a divinely initiated organic process that begins from a “bare seed” at death (1 Cor 15:44, 37). I hope to demonstrate that an emergence model of the resurrection both speaks to those grieving reproductive loss and also avoids eclipsing women’s exercise of moral discernment in reproductive matters.

The philosophy of silence in the context of a stage action

The article analyzes the nature of non-verbal human behavior. It reveals the non-verbal toolkit of the actor, its advantages over the verbal one and the main characteristics, i.e. organicity, staginess, informative richness and influence on the viewer. The antiscientific nature of the concept of verbal action and its destructive role in the organic process of the birth of a word are revealed. The study reveals the leading role of directing in the creation of the non-verbal text of the show. It determines the role of stage "silence" as the most informative and influential actor and director's tool for revealing the deep meanings of human characters, events and phenomena in the process of creating performances. The article emphasizes that it is the zones of silence, pauses, mise-en-scènes, the actor's psychophysical and director's staging constructions, and not literary texts, that broadcast the innermost meanings of spectacles, reveal the labyrinths of thoughts, intentions and feelings of the characters hidden behind dramatic texts, appealing to the imagination, fantasy and intuition of the viewer. The main types and varieties of stage pauses and zones of silence are summarized. The main provisions of the research are illustrated with non-verbal static and dynamic episodes from films and from works of theatrical art.

Edwin Chadwick: A biographical update

The civil servant Edwin Chadwick (1800–1890) dominated public health policy from 1848 until he was obliged to take early retirement in 1854. Historians have concluded that his activities after 1854 produced no lasting impact. That analysis did not evaluate his contribution to the 1875 Public Health Act. This paper describes how the coordinated activity of Chadwick, Florence Nightingale, and William Farr between 1858 and 1871 produced one of the most successful social reforms in modern history. Unaware of the intellectual capital that this group provided to political decision-makers, historical accounts have tended to attribute the reduction in mortality post-1875 to a natural organic process responding to evident social evils. The rise, fall, and rise again of Chadwick’s influence on public health policy shows how, on the contrary, difficult choices are necessary to resolve social problems.

BRICS and Global Restructuring: Notes for the Near Future

The multipolar cooperation between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) countries seems to be a significant development in the current phase of restructuring of globalization. This article explores the relationship between the emerging radical readjustment of the world hegemony equilibrium with the past and future dynamics of the global socioeconomic system. It examines the relation of the ongoing institutionalization by the BRICS with the established international institutions and the relation of BRICS to the promotion of global economic development. After presenting a structured interpretation of the actual emergence of a “new globalization,” the article focuses on the aspects of BRICS evolution and dynamics that contribute to the discussion of the rise of a more balanced and more democratic multipolar global regime. It notices that multipolar cooperation at the international level should be more democratic as the BRICS claim, although these countries (China and Russia, in particular) face increasing concerns for their liberal rights and democratization domestically. In conclusion, it seems that a new and relatively stable global system now requires a repositioned conception of capitalism as an evolutionary socioeconomic phenomenon, in which innovation is the central and predominant organic process within all organizations.

Rapid Urbanization, Ecology and Sustainability: The Need for a Broad Strategy, Holism and Transdisciplinarity

This paper questions the conventional approaches to “planetary urbanization,” particularly their neglect to articulate the current process of rapid urban growth within the framework of new climate regimes and the ecological crisis. From this angle, it is irrelevant whether we focus on the idea of “city” or “the urban” in order to grasp contemporary socio-economic developments. Put differently, `”planetary urbanization” is one of the fundamentally constitutive elements of the Anthropocene era. Planetary urbanization is a problematic concept, and one that does not allow us to seriously analyze and assess the ecological threat and begin to craft proposals for a better understanding of sustainable development practices. After suggesting that the idea of “ecology” is fundamentally opposed to the idea of “nature,” we propose a concept of sustainability that is relevant for urban contexts and for an overall situation of planetary urbanization defined within the Anthropocene. Accordingly, an urban context will be defined as sustainable if it is planned and governed to account for the capacity, fitness, resilience, diversity and balance of its ecosystem. We take the view of sustainability as an organic process including environment, economy and community: form and efficiency (environmental factors in design, architecture, engineering and construction) as well as policy (urban plans and practices that explicitly aim at maintaining and improving the social and economic well-being of citizens). We need to step away from any conception of “the natural” as Nature. What is natural is what is sustainable, both urban and non-urban.