This paper addresses the cultural impact of genomics and the Human Genome Project on human self-understanding. Notably, it addresses the claim made by Francis Collins that the genome is the language of God and the claim made by Max Delbrück that Aristotle must be credited with having predicted DNA as the soul that organises bio-matter. From a continental philosophical perspective I will argue that human existence results from a dialectical interaction between two types of texts: the language of molecular biology (...) and the language of civilisation; the language of the genome and the language of our socio-cultural, symbolic ambiance. Whereas the former ultimately builds on the alphabets of genes and nucleotides, the latter is informed by primordial texts such as the Bible and the Quran. In applied bioethics deliberations on genomics, science is easily framed as liberating and progressive, religious world-views as conservative an... (shrink)

In 1968, Jürgen Habermas claimed that, in an advanced technological society, the emancipatory force of knowledge can only be regained by actively recovering the ‘forgotten experience of reflection’. In this article, we argue that, in the contemporary situation, critical reflection requires a deliberative ambiance, a process of mutual learning, a consciously organised process of deliberative and distributed reflection. And this especially applies, we argue, to critical reflection concerning a specific subset of technologies which are actually oriented towards optimising human (...) cognition. In order to create a deliberative ambiance, fostering critical upstream reflection on emerging technologies, we developed the concept of a mutual learning exercise. Building on a number of case studies, we analyse what an MLE involves, both practically and conceptually, focussing on key aspects such as ambiance and expertise, the role of ‘genres of the imagination’ and the profiles of various ‘subcultures of debate’. Ideally, an MLE becomes a contemporary version of the Socratic agora, providing a stage where multiple and sometimes unexpected voices and perspectives mutually challenge each other, in order to strength-en the societal robustness and responsiveness of emerg-ing technologies. (shrink)

This article addresses the question whether skiing as a nature sport enables practitioners to develop a rapport with nature, or rather estranges and insulates them from their mountainous ambiance. To address this question, I analyse a recent skiing movie from a psychoanalytical perspective and from a neuro-scientific perspective. I conclude that Jean-Paul Sartre’s classical but egocentric account of his skiing experiences disavows the technicity involved in contemporary skiing as a sportive practice for the affluent masses, which actually represents an (...) urbanisation of the sublime, symptomatic for the current era. (shrink)

Is life a simple result of a conjunction of physico-chemical processes? Can be reduced to a mere juxtaposition of spatially determined events? What epistemology or world-view allows us to comprehend it? Aristotle built a novel philosophical system in which nature is a dynamical totality which is in constant movement. Life is a manifestation of it, and is formed and governed by the psyche. Psyche is the organizational principle of the different biological levels: nutritive, perceptive and intelective. Driesch's crucial experiment provided (...) empirical proof of the principle of life, which he called entelechy. Entelechy is an intensive manifoldness and cannot be comprehended by the usual extensive parameters. The entelechian's own ambiance is duration. This allows the reintroduction of the concept of teleology in the sphere of the living, understood not as a final cause, but as an order born from desire and leading to action. (shrink)

This chapter traces the genealogy of the term atmosphere in the German language, identifies historical semantic shifts, and points to its grammatical specifics. The state of research on atmospheres is briefly summarized and an overview is offered of the various definitions of the term in different disciplines. Drawing on Timothy Morton’s theory of ambient poetics, and on Hermann Schmitz’s “new phenomenology,” four key characteristics of atmospheres are discussed and elaborated: their mereological constitution, their modal structure, their intensification at affective thresholds, (...) and their affective efficacy through suggestions of movement. (shrink)

This research titled “Development and Environment Sustainability in Nigeria: An African Perspective” examines the effect of development on the African environment. Recent trends and tenets of development are accredited to technological advancements infrastructures and industrialization. Thus, development is respected within the light of social and economic productivity and mostly applauded within the ambiance of consumable scientific, architectural, agricultural and engineering, etc. Notably, the afore-mentioned directly affects the environment and this has become a conundrum to both living and non-living organisms (...) within the environment. It is undisputable that development is good and encouraged, but not at the expense of those to whom it’s meant for. This work then is an exposition of the effects and defects of development that infringes on the environment and proposed a possible solution to environmental sustainability. The paper advocates for a religio-cultural relation with the environment; a relationship that is rather personified than objectified, using Nigeria as a case study. This paper employs the methods of exposition, explication and critical analysis. (shrink)

Many people go outdoors in winter for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling and some other activities that all fall within the realm of winter tourism. Winter tourism is a source of both personal and public health, and thus a source of prosperous living. Along with that, it is a conspicuous economic phenomenon that generates millions of dollars in annual revenue for stakeholders. Hence, this type of tourism is of top importance, and thus one of the main concerns to many snowy destinations (...) with high altitudes such as those in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Turkey. Stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, business professionals, state incumbents, and tourism, leisure, and sports scholars should benefit from both precedent and unprecedented principles and practices to cultivate the industry, and they should constantly seek to improve the winter tourism experience. Therefore, it is aimed to drive implications from the success of a cult winter tourism location MooserWirt in Sankt Anton herein by depending on a web-based examination. MooserWirt is an après-ski bar located in a world-famous village and ski resort called St Anton at the Arlberg Massif in Austria. The bar is open in winter seasons starting from early December to the end of April. It serves daily between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. up to three thousand people. The bar team starts serving food and beverage at 11 a.m. Then at 3:30 p.m., the bar’s magnate –DJ starts his ritual music party that captivates and amuses hundreds if not thousands of ski-goers. MooserWirt is regarded as one of the best après ski lodges throughout the world. Many people would ask for the principles of such a success. By depending on a web-based examination of the case, we can respond to that kind of a call with a few generic implications. First of all, one of the main features that makes the bar special seems to be its music parties. People mostly comment that the bar has a music mogul –DJ, and enjoyable mixtures of music that charm the audience. Furthermore, the bar has heretofore hosted the prominent TV show known as Après Ski Hits featuring various famed singers and bands on outdoor stage performance many times to commence the season. Secondly, many people acknowledge that the bar has an eye-catching menu with delightful foods and beverages of local ingredients with a reasonable tariff. Third, we deduce that the bar serves with an agile and friendly team that satisfies the customers in general. Various people appreciate the performance of the staff. Last but not least, the bar has an elegant architectural design with a comfortable ambiance enclosed by a typical winter landscape. Overall, MooserWirt is a quality locale as it commonly meets the expectations of skiers of an après-ski lodge. In conclusion, MooserWirt has been seemingly building up a tradition through quality over the decades. It is distinctive through product differentiation. It serves with dedicated personnel adhering to quality service that generates customer satisfaction, and it uses a powerful marketing strategy that leads to having worldwide visibility and being a mind-anchored brand with preeminence. (shrink)

The Biblical story of the Art (a floating, zoo-like device, constructed to survive climate turmoil and mass extinction) can be regarded as an archetypal image (in the terminology of Gaston Bachelard), capturing structural components of the human-animal relationship. Building on the contributions by Larson and Barr, Keulartz, Bovenkerk and Verweij, and Ramp and Bekoff, I will argue that, in the course of history, the Ark has evolved from a fictional (imaginary) icon into something increasingly real. The agricultural village of the (...) Neolithic era already functioned as a sheltered enclave, a survival machine designed to allow a select number of humans and accompanying species to withstand environmental fluctuations and survival pressure. In the current situation, however, the Ark has developed into a Gestell of planetary dimensions. The concept of the anthropocene basically conveys the idea that we have entered a global symbolical Ark, conceptualised by Teilhard de Chardin as the noosphere (the world-wide web of intelligence and policies, technologies and engineering, research and regulations) and emerging against the backdrop of a necro(s)cene: an ambiance of mass extinction. Increasingly, prospects for survival of a disconcertingly large number of species depend on human behaviour and human decision: on our ability or failure to collectively address the daunting challenges of the present. (shrink)