An almost mythological narrative of the Occident states that with the European Enlightenment, humans began to no longer leave their fate to higher authorities, but to take it into their own hands with courageous confidence in their own powers. Apart from the fact that this topos of the self-determined human being characterizes the mythologies and heroic epics of numerous cultures, including non-European ones, the modern European narrative at least seems to tie its ideal of self-development as well as social and (...) individual perfection to the idea of constant progress. Using the example of some central Hindu ideas, I will attempt to outline from a cultural-psychological perspective that individual perfection can also be conceived as possible in cosmological ideas that emphasize constant dissolution and destruction as the principle of all being. I will conclude with some brief reflections on how such ideas can contribute to a more comprehensive analysis of certain aspects of contemporary society and politics. (shrink)

: As organizations continue to adopt cloud computing for its numerous advantages—such as scalability, cost-efficiency, and flexibility—the need to secure digital assets within the cloud has never been more critical. Cloud security faces unique challenges due to the distributed and multi-tenant nature of cloud services. Cyber-attacks, data breaches, and misconfigurations are among the prominent risks that threaten the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of cloud-based data and applications. In this paper, we explore CloudGuard, an advanced security framework designed to protect organizations' (...) digital assets in the cloud. This fortress security approach focuses on implementing multiple layers of protection through cutting-edge technologies, such as encryption, identity and access management (IAM), threat intelligence, and security automation. We also highlight the integration of AI and Machine Learning to improve threat detection and response times, and blockchain's potential in ensuring data integrity and privacy. Through a comprehensive analysis, this paper outlines practical strategies for organizations to adopt CloudGuard and strengthen their security posture against evolving cyber threats in the digital world. (shrink)

What happens to the inner light of consciousness with the death of the individual body and brain? Reductive materialism assumes it simply fades to black. Others think of consciousness as indicating a continuation of self, a transformation, an awakening or even alternatives based on the quality of life experience. In this issue, speculation drawn from theoretic research are presented. -/- Table of Contents Epigraph: From “The Immortal”, Jorge Luis Borges iii Editor’s Introduction: I Killed a Squirrel the Other Day, Gregory (...) M. Nixon iv-xi Research Essays The Tilde Fallacy and Reincarnation: Variations on a "Skeptical" Argument Teed Rockwell 862-881 Death, Consciousness, and Phenomenology, Steve Bindeman 882-899 The Idealist View of Consciousness After Death, Bernardo Kastrup 900-909 Consciousness, a Cosmic Phenomenon—A Hypothesis, Eva Déli 910-930 The Theory of a Natural Afterlife: A Newfound, Real Possibility for What Awaits Us at Death, Bryon K. Ehlmann 931-950 Near-Death Cases Desegregating Non-Locality/Disembodiment via Quantum Mediated Consciousness: An Extended Version of the Cell-Soul Pathway, Contzen Pereira & J Shashi Kiran Reddy 951-968 On the Possible Existence of Quantum Consciousness After Brain Death, Massimo Pregnolato & Alfredo Pereira Jr. 969-991 Science and Postmortem Survival, Edward F. Kelly 992-1011 Explorations ISS Theory: Cosmic Consciousness, Self, and Life Beyond Death in a Hyperdimensional Physics, Chris H. Hardy 1012-1035 Does the Consciousness End, Remain Awake, or Transform After Death? Radivoj Stankovich (with Micho Durdevich) 1036-1050 Big Bang Spirituality, Life, and Death, Ken Bausch 1051-1063 Death, Consciousness and the Quantum Paradigm, Ronald Peter Glasberg 1064-1077 Living With Limits: The Continuum of Consciousness, Donald Brackett 1078-1098 Mysticism, Consciousness, Death, Mike Sosteric 1099-1118 What Dies? Eternalism and the Afterlife in William James, Jonathan Bricklin 1119-1140 Theories of Consciousness and Death: Does Consciousness End, Continue, Awaken, or Transform When the Body Dies? Roger Cook 1141-1153 It’s the Other Way Around: Matter is a Form of Consciousness and Death is the End of the Illusion of Life in the World, James P. Kowall & Pradeep B. Deshpande 1154-1208 Statements A Feminine Vision for the World Consciousness, & a New Outrageous Ontology, Lorna Green 1209-1217 The Mask of Eternity: The Quest for Immortality and the Afterlife, Iona Miller 1218-1228 Are We Really “such stuff as dreams are made on”? Chris Nunn 1229-1225 Is the Afterlife a Non-Question? (Let's Hope Not), Deepak Chopra 1226-1230 Life After Death? An Improbable Essay, Stuart Kauffman 1231-1236. (shrink)