Transforming human nature in the digital age

The article analyzes the problem of transformation of human nature in a modern digital society. The explication of the concept of “transformation” is given, the types of transformation are discussed, the connections between the concepts of “society” and “human being as a generic being” are revealed. The concepts of “human essence” and “human nature” are analyzed and compared, the uncertainty in the understanding of sociality is revealed, and the conclusion is made that the very concept of the essence of a person is largely amorphous. The complexity and multidimensionality of human nature is demonstrated, the relevance of its research is shown. This reveals the possibilities of the most diverse and, in the limit - inexhaustible - transformations of human nature. At the same time, the authors draw attention to the fact that the measure of possible transformations must be observed, since its violation inevitably turns into the disintegration of both man and society. The article notes that the most accessible and effective is the impact on the biological component of human nature. The connection between the transformation of human nature and modifications of the human worldview is stated. In this regard, the possibilities of transforming societies following the transformation of human nature are discussed. The authors come to the conclusion that as a result of ongoing transformations, a new type of society is emerging, which can be called a singular society, combining almost incompatible characteristics.

Cantor set based neighbor generation method for permutation solution representation

Metaheuristics gained world-wide popularity and researchers have been studying them vigorously in the last two decades. A relatively less explored approach in the improvement of metaheuristics is to design new neighbor generation mechanisms. Neighbor generation mechanisms are very important in the success of any single solution-based heuristic since they directly guide the search. In this study, a neighbor generation mechanism called cantor-set based (CB) method for single solution-based heuristics which use permutation solution representation is described. The inspiration for CB method stems from the recursive algorithm that constructs a cantor set which is a fractal set. Three variations of CB method are discussed (CB-1, CB-2, CB-3) considering the presented design possibilities. The computational experiments are conducted by embedding the mechanisms into the classical local search and simulated annealing algorithms, separately, to test their efficiency and effectiveness by comparing them to classical swap and insertion mechanisms. The traveling salesman problem (TSP) and quadratic assignment problem (QAP) which are very different problems that have incompatible characteristics have been chosen to test the mechanisms and sets of benchmark instances with varying sizes are chosen for the comparisons. The computational tests show that CB-2 gives very favorable results for TSP and CB-1 gives favorable results for QAP which means that CB-2 is suitable for problems that have steep landscapes and CB-1 is suitable for the problems that have flat landscapes. It is observed that CB-3 is a more generalized mechanism because it gives consistently good results for both TSP and QAP instances. The best mechanism for a given instance of the both problem types outperforms the classical neighbor generation of swap and insertion in terms of effectiveness.

EFFECTIVENESS OF URBAN FARMING POLICIES AND ECONOMIC HEROES IN POVERTY REDUCTION IN THE CITY OF SURABAYA

Poverty in Indonesia raises various complex problems such as unemployment, crime, and other social problems. Surabaya is one of metropolitan city in Indonesia, yet still has a high poverty rates. Various attempts have been made by the Surabaya City Government to overcome the problem of poverty. Some of the policies implemented by the Surabaya City Government are Urban Farming Program and UMKM Tangible Economy Heroes Program. This study wants to answer empirically how effective the program is. Effectiveness according to Budiani (2007: 53) can be measured through the determination of program objectives, program socialization, program objectives, and program monitoring. This program takes place in Kelurahan Keputih and Rungkut Lor, Surabaya using a comparative descriptive method with a qualitative approach. The Urban Farming Program is a program to spur improvement in the living standards of the poor who are engaged in strengthening the urban agriculture sector. The Urban Farming Program is felt to be lacking in accuracy of the program targets due to incompatible products produced with demand, incompatible characteristics of the area with what is planted, and products produced can only be consumed alone. Intangible UMKM Economic Heroes Program is a program to empower housewives from poor families and MSME entrepreneurs. The Intangible Economy Hero Program of UMKM is deemed effective in minimizing poverty.

Physical basis for the adaptive flexibility of Bacillus spore coats

Bacillus spores are highly resistant dormant cells formed in response to starvation. The spore is surrounded by a structurally complex protein shell, the coat, which protects the genetic material. In spite of its dormancy, once nutrient is available (or an appropriate physical stimulus is provided) the spore is able to resume metabolic activity and return to vegetative growth, a process requiring the coat to be shed. Spores dynamically expand and contract in response to humidity, demanding that the coat be flexible. Despite the coat's critical biological functions, essentially nothing is known about the design principles that allow the coat to be tough but also flexible and, when metabolic activity resumes, to be efficiently shed. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that these apparently incompatible characteristics derive from an adaptive mechanical response of the coat. We generated a mechanical model predicting the emergence and dynamics of the folding patterns uniformly seen in Bacillus spore coats. According to this model, spores carefully harness mechanical instabilities to fold into a wrinkled pattern during sporulation. Owing to the inherent nonlinearity in their formation, these wrinkles persist during dormancy and allow the spore to accommodate changes in volume without compromising structural and biochemical integrity. This characteristic of the spore and its coat may inspire design of adaptive materials.

Religious Pluralism and the Divine: a Response to Paul Eddy

In ‘Religious Pluralism and the Divine: Another Look at John Hick's Neo-Kantian Proposal’ [Religious Studies, xxx, 1994) Paul Eddy argues against the ultimate ineffability of the Real, and claims that a neo-Kantian epistemology leads to a Feuerbachian non-realism. In response I stress (a) the impossibility of attributing to the Real the range of incompatible characteristics of its phenomenal (i.e. experienceable) manifestations, so that it must lie beyond the range of our human religious categories, and (b) the distinction, which Eddy fails to observe, between grounds for believing in the Divine, and reasons for thinking that the Divine can be differently conceived and experienced.