TECHNOLOGY AT THE CROSSROADS: A CALL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA

Globalization is viewed in this work as a critical concept by which we understand the transition of human society into the post-pandemic era. In this vein, this paper attempts to look into the process of globalization and its central feature, technology. Technology has become a global force that affects political, social, ethical, and environmental. The ancient Greeks, such as Plato and Aristotle, who lived in aristocratic societies, rejected discourse on technology as unworthy. Social, political, and theoretical activities, rather than technical, were deemed as the highest forms. Plato, for instance, alluded to the artisans merely as the cheapest form of metal compared to gold associated with the philosopher-rulers, while silver is equivalent to the warrior class. Technological change, defined as "progress," is seen as an inevitable process in modern history. This paper explored issues of globalization and the implications of technology, employing crucial viewpoints of Martin Heidegger, acknowledged as one of the powerful and influential philosophers of the 20th century. Specifically, this paper explored “machination (Machenschaft)” and Heidegger’s Technik (Technology) or Gestell (Enframing). Machination is not just human conduct but the act of manipulation. It is a revelation of beings as a whole as exploitable and manipulable objects. The world seems to be a collection of present-at-hand thing with no intrinsic meaning or purpose, a cold place where we cannot put down any roots. All we can do is calculate and control. We observe and measure everything. We make things go faster and faster. Thus, there is a need to discuss and recognize issues related to technology. Heidegger's thoughts offer analytic tools that contribute to a critical understanding of the multidimensional effects, risks, and possibilities brought about by modernity and its globalization..

GENESIS AND BLACK HOLE UNIVERSE:THE FOURTH DAY

Papers I through III has fully and self-consistently addressed the first three days of Genesis according to the author’s well-developed black hole universe model. In the first day, God created space and time, matter and motion, charge and fundamental forces, and energy and light for the infinite entire universe. Then, in the second day he hierarchically structured the entire universe by separating the matter and space with infinite layers bounded by event horizons and further formed our finite black hole universe. In the third day, God constructed the interiors of our black hole universe with planets, stars, galaxies, and clusters, etc. In this sequence of study as Paper-IV, we describe how God created our earth and solar system and generated lights including the Sun, the moon, and stars to give light to our universe and earth. The efforts of this systematic study on God’s creative work during the first four days bridged the gap between Genesis and observations of the universe and brought us a scientific understanding of the Genesis. This innovative interpretation of Genesis also strongly supports the black hole universe model to be capable of revealing the mysteries of the universe.

PHYSICAL OR THEOLOGICAL APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE THE SHROUD IMAGE FORMATION BY UV RADIATION?

In this article, we ask ourselves if it is possible that Corona Discharge or Vacuum UV radiation may have been the tools to produce the Shroud body image. We are convinced that both are not appropriate mechanisms. In fact, the start of these processes is based on inconsistent hypotheses for the natural sciences, although all that follows is rational, reasonable and acceptable. However, the big initial mole remains. The complexity of this situation is such that it seems to be in a world in part Transcendent and in part Immanent. Therefore, independently from the possible results that in a next future could be obtained, due to identified photochemical processes, the Scientific Method cannot accept both the hypotheses and, consequently, the experiments. The same is also for the Theological approach which discards both proposals

HINDU COSMOLOGY IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY

This paper tries to comprehend Hindu narrative of creation in the framework of modern cosmology and psychology. The objective is to build a conversation for mutual understanding. The following concordance between the two streams is suggested. The state of the Primeval Being before It desired to become many is not known in the Hindu stream just as the state of the universe before the Big Bang is not known in the modern stream. The Primeval Being desired to grow according to the Hindu stream. Modern psychology says there is an innate desire to grow among human beings that we extrapolate backwards to suggest that the Singularity desired to grow. The Brahman pervades the entire Universe according to the Hindu stream. The panpsychists hold that every particle in the universe has consciousness. Brahman is the fused consciousness of all the particles in the universe according to the Hindu stream. In parallel the panpsychists hold that the fused consciousness is more than the sum of the parts. The collective consciousness of a subset of the universe is “devta” according to the Hindu stream. This concords with the “unconscious substrate” created in social organizations according to modern psychology. The collective consciousness of individuals having their consciousness at the Vishuddhi, Manipur and Anahata chakras is known as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. These concord with the collective consciousness of individuals who have evolved to the needs of cognition, belonging and esteem according to Abraham Maslow. The devtas can descend into a living person who is then called an avatara. This concords with the descent of the libido into the unconscious as said by Carl G. Jung. In conclusion, Hindu Brahman is modern God. Hindu devtas are modern gods. Hindu avataras are modern individuals in whom the gods have descended. In this way we can make the Hindu cosmology understandable to the modern mind and vice versa.

MONASTIC SPIRITUALITY IN THE TEACHING OF SAINT BASIL THE GREAT

The spiritual training of the exceptional beacon of the Cappadocian Fathers, Saint Basil the Great, influenced the subsequent ecclesial life, but especially the monastic one, by the divinely inspired rules, which became essential for all the subsequent monastic settlements, the fruits of the monastic spirituality according to his teaching being substantiated in the principles governing the life of the monastic community by love, obedience, teaching, knowledge, asceticism, without despising the hermitic (skete) life, trying to combine the most useful principles of both of these forms of monastic asceticism.

WHAT CAN EARTH HISTORY AND EVOLUTION TELL ABOUT THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE?

Conclusions about the Creator of the universe are drawn from the evolution and diversity of living beings. Furthermore, four events of the Earth's history are addressed. From them, it can be concluded that the Creator actively intervened in the history of the Earth to promote the development of intelligent life. Following characteristics of the Creator are observed: He is patient, creates an exuberant fullness, and gives freedom to his creation. He uses causal links and seemingly random events to steer the course of his creation. The Creator is in constant dialogue with his creation to lead it into ever greater abundance and freedom. He uses evolutionary processes, which are not goal-oriented, to achieve his goals. The observed characteristics of the Creator fit very well with the Judeo-Christian God. The question is raised whether the Creator is timeless or not.

GIORDANO BRUNO AND JEWISH THOUGHT: RECEPTION AND REINTERPRETATION

This article is focused on the philosopher Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) and the references to Jewish culture in his oeuvre. We discuss about Bruno’s reception of Jewish thought and describe this subject in a comprehensive way. We highlight Bruno’s view on the Jews and their religion, also explaining the reasons behind his polemic against the Jewish people. Furthermore, we underline the influence of the Kabbalistic tradition and Jewish philosophy on various aspects of Brunian thought. Specifically, we discuss about the use of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in Bruno’s works on the art of memory, the relation between Brunian infinitist cosmology and Kabbalistic concepts such as ensoph and the ten sephirot, the relation between Brunian thought and the philosophical theories of Avicebron, Moses Maimonides, Hasdai Crescas and Leo the Hebrew.

GENESIS AND BLACK HOLE UNIVERSE: THE THIRD DAY

Recently the author has fully addressed the first two days of Genesis according to his well-developed black hole universe model (see Paper-I and Paper-II). In accordance with this new interpretation of Genesis, God first created the infinite entire universe called “earth” with matter named “water”, and light, space and time, fundamental forces and motion. Then, he hierarchically structured the entire universe by separating the matter and space with infinite layers bounded by event horizons (called “vaults”) and further formed our finite black hole universe. The efforts bridged the gap between Genesis and observations of the universe and brought us a scientific understanding of the Genesis. In this sequence study as Paper-III, we describe how God constructed the interiors of our finite black hole universe. It includes the formation of celestial objects by gathering the water or gravitationally collapsing the initial super fluidal matter under the sky or inside the even horizon of our black hole universe. These formed celestial objects could be stars and planets called dry grounds or lands, in which matter is not in the water state any more, and galaxies and clusters called, respectively, seas of stars and seas of galaxies.

THE DEVIL – THE FIRST APOPHATIC THEOLOGIAN

The first page of the invisible creation changed at the dawn of its beginnings. The crisis of authenticity has disfigured Lucifer (the opposite of existential transfiguration), the genius of shadowing light behind the wall of darkness. The fall brought, to the angelic order „foresitter”, the forever loss of its genuine state as virtuous angel. In other words, the guardian cherubim of the celestial armies wished to install an eschatology of disorder and evil in God's creation. In fact, the „morning star of dawn” had in mind to draw „a new heaven and a new earth” where evil, dismantling and chaos were supposed to be the governing laws. His wrong understanding of beings' personal freedom will bring the scaffold of his self-petrification.

MYTH OF EUROPEAN DARK AGE (5TH-15TH CENTURY) SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE STAGNATION: CRITICAL STUDIES OF SCIENTIFIC IDEA INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE LATE MEDIEVAL THEOLOGIAN AND EARLY MODERN PHILOSOPHER

Within common historical context, most historians consider the European renaissance age as age of origins of modern scientific knowledge, also, they assume European Medieval Age (5th-15th centuries) as age full with scientific knowledge ignorant. This research paper gives important historical review about interactions of scientific idea between the late medieval theologian and early modern philosopher. However, most previous research was more emphasized on scientific knowledge development during the age of renaissance and age of enlightenment without considering the contribution of early medieval age theologian. By examining this historically event with critical review, I do give some clarification to such pervasive myth by using qualitative research methodologies, which involving analyst of historical facts from primary resources and secondary resources such as archives, journals, book chapters, and published research paper. This research challenges the argument that scientific knowledge development only happened since renaissance age. In the comparatives studies, I found out that early medieval theologian, from William of Ockham to Gabriel Biel, who did played an important role of influencing early modern philosopher, Rene Descartes to David Hume, with scientific ideas. Such finding does give a significant clarification to the myth of medieval Europe scientific knowledge stagnation in modern historical debate.