The United Kingdom's Parliamentary Bill 'Fraud Trials (Without a Jury) 2007', failed. Nevertheless, fraud trials without a jury do take place and there is much evidence to support this. Today the UK still does not support fraud trials without a jury, even though fraud in the UK today is the highest amount of fraud globally. The longer version of this paper is submitted here since it has become urgent that UK fraud trials be examined (...) as a matter of urgency. On page 87 of this complete paper (cut down for The Criminal Lawyer in 2008) a U.S study of 46 corporate fraud trials revealed that the defendants were CEOs, President, Chairman, Senior Vice Presidents, Chief Financial Officers, but only one entity reach trial stage. After the ce Arthur Anderson LLP v. United States, 544 U.S. 696 (2005), and the Lehman Brothers SEC case and the SEC v. Bank of America Corp., 653 F. Supp. 2d 507 (S.D.N.Y. 2009, and the Report by the U.S. Financial Crisis Inquiry on the 2008 financial crash, a global financial disaster was predicted and George Osborne, UK Chancellor pleaded for leniency for HSBC Bank frauds, threatening a global meltdown. The U.S. judiciary increased its volume of Deferred Prosecution Agreements and the UK followed suit. So, in year 2022, there is global financial meltdown and the UK has the highest rate of fraud in the world with few successful convictions. This paper is very relevant today as we must stop using deferred prosecution agreements and seek more convictions and harsh jail sentences for those financial fraudsters who have created this meltdown. -/- *When this paper was written, UK fraud was estimated at £40 million and some experts suspected twice that amount. Today UK fraud is in the billions of pounds annually. (shrink)

RIGHT TO SILENCE-UK, U.S, FRANCE, and GERMANY SALLY RAMAGE (TRADE MARK REGISTERED) WIPO Orchid ID 0000-0002-8854-4293 Pages 2-30 Current Criminal Law, Volume 1, Issue 2, -/- Sally Ramage, BA (Hons), MBA, LLM, MPhil, MCIJ, MCMI, DA., ASLS, BAWP. Orchid ID 0000-0002-8854-4293 Publisher & Managing Editor Criminal Lawyer series [1980-2022](ISSN 2049-8047) Current Criminal Law series [2008-2022] (ISSN 1758-8405) and Criminal Law News series [2008-2022] (ISSN 1758-8421). Sweet & Maxwell (Thomson Reuters) (Licensed Annotator of UK Statutes) in annual law books Current Law (...) Statutes Annotated, (2006, 2009, 2010 editions) (sole and separate S&M contracts) for 7 UK Criminal Justice Statutes: UK Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons Act 2006; UK International Development Act 2006; UK Fraud Act 2006; UK Policing and Crime Act 2009, UK Local Democracy Act 2009; UK Bribery Act 2010; and UK Crime and Security Act 2010. TradeMark SALLY RAMAGE ® (2005-2025) in the UK, 2401827; WIPO TradeMark SALLY RAMAGE® 900614; USA TradeMark 3,440,910) (2008-2028). WARNING: The doing of an unauthorized act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution. -/- ABSTRACT The privilege of the right to silence can be traced back to the 12th century, becoming more developed in later centuries. -/- Table of cases European Court of Human Rights Deweer v Belgium [1980], Eckle v Germany [1982], DN v The Netherlands [1975], Funke v France [1993] 16 EHRR 297, JP v Austria [1989], Kansal v UK [2003] Application No 21413/02 Khan v UK [2000] 31 EHRR 45, Saunders v UK [1997] 23 EHRR 313, Schenk v Switzerland [1991] 13 EHRR 242, and Tora Tolmos v Spain [1995] Table of Cases United Kingdom Brown v Procurator Fiscal, Dunfermline, [2000] , The Times, Feb 14, High Ct Scot.; HM Advocate v Friel [1978] SLT; Lambe v Munster [1882] 10 QBD 110.; Pearse v Pearse [1846] Eng Rep 950 (on truth); Re Pantmaenog Timber Co Ltd [2003] HL; R v Bryce [1992] 95 Cr App Rep 320; R v Canale [1990] 2 All ER 187; R v Fitzpatrick [1995] 4 SCR 154; R v Herbert [1990] 2 SCR 151; R V Hertfordshire County Council, ex parte Green Environmental Industries and another [2000] 1 All ER 773; R v Keenan [1989] Crim LR 720; R v Maguire [1990] Cr App Rep 115; R v Pound, Green and ors [2004]; R v Sang [1979] Crim LR 655; R v Saunders [1986] unreported; R v Seelig, R v Spens [1991] CA; R v Smith [1992] 95 Cr App. R. 191; R v Steen and ors [2003] unreported; R v Walsh [1981] CrimLR 822; R V Ward 96 Cr App R [1993]; R v Weekes [1993] Crim LR 211; R v White [1999] 2 SCR 417; R v Young [2003] unreported; Thompson Newspaper v Canada [1990] 1 SCR 425; Walsh Automation (Europe) Ltd v Bridgeman and ors [2002] EWHC 1344 QB France-Law France 1789 Declaration des driots de l‟homme et du citoyen 1808 Code d ‟instruction criminelle 1946 Constitution 1958 Code de procedure penale 2000 Penal Code Germany-Law Germany 1871 Criminal Code 1877 Criminal Procedure Code (St PO) 1877 Judicial Organisation Law 1949 Constitution 1975 Criminal Code 1998 Criminal Code Table of Cases Germany Germany BGH Admissibility of secret tape recordings judgement 14 June 1960, in BGHSt 14, 358 BGH Lie detector judgement 16 Feb 1954, in BGHSt 5, 332. BberfG Decision concerning the applicability of ne bis in idem 31 March 1987, in BberfGE 75,1; BGH Sweeping deception of suspect judgement 24 August 1988, in BGHSt 36, 328. BGH Judgement 24 August 1993, in BGHSt 39, 305 Table of Cases United States United States of America California v Byres [1971] 402 U.S. 424; Fisher v United States 475 U.S. 391 [1986]; Griffin v California [1965] 380 US 609 [; Hoffman v United States [1950] 341 U.S. 479; Supreme Court Baldwin v NY, 399 US 143 [1970]; Supreme Court Chavez v Martinez , U.S. 123 [2003]; Supreme Court Doyle v Ohio, 426 U.S. 610 [1976]; Supreme Court Escobedo v Illinois, 378 U.S. 478 [1964]; Supreme Court Giglio v US, 405 U.S. 150 [1972] Supreme Court Harris v NY, 401 U.S. 222 [1971]; Supreme Court Kirby v Illinois, 406 U.S. 682 [1972]; Supreme Court Miranda v Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 [1966]; Supreme Court Moore v Illinois, 408 U.S. 768 [1972]; Supreme Court Moran v Burbine, 475 U.S. [1986]; Supreme Court Orzoco v Texas, 324 U.S.24 [1969]; Supreme Court US v Hale [1975] 422 US 17; Supreme Court US v Leon, 468 U.S. 897 [1984]; Supreme Court US v Salerno, 481 U.S. 739 [1987]; Twining v New Jersey 211 US 78 113 -/- . (shrink)

Purdue Pharma was being investigated by United States Civil and Criminal compliance agencies for many years and a conclusion has now been reached. Although successful , this author feels that such extremely serious corporate frauds must also punish senior individual executives with long jail sentences -in this case-corporate manslaughter.

Preventing Election Manipulation: Safeguards Against Propaganda and Hidden Motives -/- Elections are the foundation of democratic governance, ensuring that leadership reflects the will of the people. However, history has repeatedly shown that candidates can win by manipulating public perception through propaganda, misinformation, and by hiding their true motives. While such elections may be technically valid, they often lack ethical legitimacy, leading to governance that does not truly serve the public interest. To prevent election manipulation, societies must implement strong safeguards, including (...) media literacy education, independent journalism, strict election laws, social media regulation, political funding transparency, civic engagement, and whistleblower protections. By examining real-world examples from different countries, we can better understand how these measures strengthen democracy and protect the integrity of elections. -/- The Role of Media Literacy and Critical Thinking -/- One of the most effective ways to counter propaganda and manipulation is through media literacy education. When voters are equipped with the ability to critically analyze information, they are less likely to fall for deceptive political messaging. -/- Finland has integrated media literacy into its school curriculum, teaching students how to recognize misinformation, propaganda, and biased narratives. As a result, Finland ranks among the most resistant countries to fake news, demonstrating that an informed population is less susceptible to manipulation. -/- In Sweden, government agencies actively work with media organizations to educate citizens about misinformation, especially during election periods. -/- Estonia has taken a technological approach by incorporating digital literacy programs to help citizens distinguish between real and fake online content. -/- By investing in education that enhances critical thinking, societies can create an electorate that makes decisions based on truth rather than deception. -/- The Importance of Independent and Transparent Media -/- A free and independent press is crucial in exposing political deception and ensuring that voters have access to accurate information. Without independent journalism, political leaders can control narratives, suppress inconvenient truths, and mislead the public. -/- In the United States, investigative journalism has played a key role in exposing political corruption. The Watergate scandal, uncovered by journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, demonstrating how the media can hold leaders accountable. -/- In South Korea, independent journalism was instrumental in exposing the corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, leading to mass protests and her eventual impeachment in 2017. -/- In India, independent news outlets like The Wire and Scroll continue to challenge misinformation and expose political propaganda, despite facing government pressure. -/- A strong and fearless media ensures that no political leader can manipulate elections without public scrutiny. -/- Strict Election Laws and Fact-Checking Institutions -/- Election laws must regulate campaign messaging, penalize misinformation, and promote transparency. Without strict regulations, candidates can use false narratives to mislead voters. -/- France bans political advertising on TV and radio in the months leading up to elections to prevent mass media manipulation. -/- Germany has strict laws against spreading false information that could influence election outcomes, including heavy fines for politicians or parties caught disseminating fake news. -/- South Africa has established the Electoral Commission, which monitors campaign activities and ensures fair political competition. -/- Additionally, independent fact-checking institutions play a vital role in verifying politicians’ claims. Organizations like PolitiFact in the U.S., Full Fact in the UK, and Africa Check in South Africa actively investigate political statements, providing voters with verified information. -/- Regulating Social Media to Prevent Manipulation -/- Social media has become a powerful tool for both legitimate political campaigns and misinformation. Without regulation, candidates can spread propaganda unchecked, influencing voter perceptions. -/- During Brazil’s elections, misinformation was widely spread through WhatsApp, influencing voter opinions. In response, WhatsApp limited the ability to forward mass messages to curb the spread of fake news. -/- The European Union has implemented strict digital regulations, requiring social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to label political ads and remove false information that could influence elections. -/- In Indonesia, the government collaborates with technology companies to identify and remove fake news before it spreads during elections. -/- By regulating online political content and holding social media platforms accountable, governments can prevent digital platforms from becoming tools for manipulation. -/- Ensuring Transparency in Political Funding -/- When campaign financing is not transparent, wealthy donors, corporations, or even foreign entities can secretly influence elections to serve their own interests. Transparent funding laws ensure that voters know who is backing a candidate and why. -/- Canada enforces strict donation limits and public disclosure laws, preventing corporate and foreign influence in elections. -/- Mexico has implemented an independent electoral institute that monitors campaign financing to prevent corruption and ensure fair competition. -/- South Korea requires all political donations to be publicly disclosed, ensuring that funding sources are transparent. -/- When political funding is transparent, voters can assess whether a candidate is truly working for the public or for hidden interests. -/- Encouraging Civic Engagement and Public Debates -/- An engaged electorate is essential for a healthy democracy. Public debates allow candidates to present their policies while being questioned on their track records and potential contradictions. -/- Taiwan holds nationally televised public debates where candidates must defend their policies and respond to public concerns. -/- In Nigeria, civil society organizations organize town hall meetings where citizens can directly ask candidates about their plans and policies. -/- France requires presidential candidates to participate in at least one public debate before elections, ensuring that voters hear multiple perspectives. -/- By encouraging open discussion and debate, societies can reduce the effectiveness of propaganda and allow voters to make informed decisions. -/- Protecting Whistleblowers and Investigative Agencies -/- Corrupt and deceptive political campaigns can only be exposed if whistleblowers and investigative agencies are protected. When individuals feel safe to reveal political misconduct, democracy is strengthened. -/- Edward Snowden revealed mass government surveillance programs, sparking global discussions about privacy and state overreach. -/- In Ukraine, anti-corruption agencies and investigative journalists have exposed multiple cases of political fraud, leading to greater government transparency. -/- In Malaysia, whistleblower efforts exposed the 1MDB scandal, which involved billions of dollars in corruption at the highest levels of government, eventually leading to the prosecution of former Prime Minister Najib Razak. -/- Encouraging and protecting whistleblowers ensures that political leaders cannot hide their unethical actions from the public. -/- Conclusion -/- While manipulation, propaganda, and hidden motives remain threats to democracy, societies can take strong measures to prevent these tactics from determining election outcomes. By investing in media literacy, supporting independent journalism, enforcing strict election laws, regulating social media, ensuring financial transparency, encouraging civic engagement, and protecting whistleblowers, democracies can safeguard the integrity of elections. -/- Without these safeguards, democracy becomes vulnerable to manipulation, allowing candidates with hidden agendas to rise to power. However, countries that actively promote transparency, accountability, and critical thinking create an environment where deception is less effective. The fight against election manipulation is an ongoing challenge, but with the right policies and public awareness, fair elections can be preserved for future generations. -/- . (shrink)

Habermas's collection of essays "The Future of Human Nature" is of particular interest for two sorts of reasons. For those interested in bioethics, it contains a genuinely new set of arguments for placing serious restrictions on using prenatal genetic technologies to “enhance” offspring. And for those interested in Habermas’s moral philosophy, it contains a number of new developments in his “discourse ethics”—not the least of which is a willingness to engage in applied ethics at all. -/- The real key (...) to Habermas’s argument is that human personhood and moral agency presuppose certain modes of relating to oneself that are threatened by the asymmetrical way in which genetic enhancements would presumably work. Thus, instead of taking up and then extending familiar normative concerns about unequal opportunities or the criteria for moral personhood, Habermas believes that the emerging technologies of genetic enhancement demand genuinely new arguments, and he proposes to focus on the effects of genetic programming on whether the agent can consider herself free and equal—effects, that is, regarding what one might call the reflexive attitudinal preconditions for moral agency. -/- Like contractarians and Kantians more generally, Habermas faces difficulties accommodating the intuition that we might have obligations toward potential persons. The difficulty is particularly pronounced in the case of Habermas’s “discourse theory of morality,” since it construes the moral point of view in terms of processes of deliberation among all those affected by the norm at issue which the participants consider in the deliberative process to be open, fair, and inclusive. Future generations do not fit neatly into this deliberative process, nor do prepersonal humans. Moral norms adjudicated in such discourse clearly affect their interests, but they cannot themselves participate in the discourse. In the past, Habermas and other “discourse ethicists” have tried to address this worry by introducing “advocatory discourses.” But this move threatens to undo a distinctive, appealing feature of Habermas’s moral theory: the pragmatist insistence on the innovative, critical, unpredictable discourse generated by actual participants in discourse and the refusal (contra Rawls, in particular) to rely on hypothetical representatives. -/- In The Future of Human Nature, Habermas ventures a different strategy,focused on expanding what he calls the “ethical” domain, which differs from the “moral” domain in being a matter of a community’s articulation of its core values and conception of the good. Previously, Habermas distinguished “ethical-existential” and “ethical-political” domains, as a matter of who an individual or a community, respectively, is and wants to be. In the present book, Habermas makes the remarkable move of introducing the category of the “species-ethical,” which is supposed to be the domain of questions raised by the human species as a whole about the question of what it is to be human. This theoretical move extends further steps Habermas had already taken in speaking of ethical solidarity within the global community. -/- . (shrink)

In the Foundations of Mathematics, Ramsey attempted to amend Principia Mathematica’s logicism to meet serious objections raised against it. While Ramsey’s paper is well known, some questions concerning Ramsey’s motivations to write it and its reception still remain. This paper considers these questions afresh. First, an account is provided for why Ramsey decided to work on his paper instead of simply accepting Wittgenstein’s account of mathematics as presented in the Tractatus. Secondly, evidence is given supporting that Wittgenstein was not (...) moved by Ramsey’s objection against the Tractarian account of arithmetic, and a suggestion is made to explain why Wittgenstein reconsidered Ramsey’s account in the early thirties on several occasions. Finally, a reading is formulated to understand the basis on which Wittgenstein argues against Ramsey’s definition of identity in his 1927 letter to Ramsey. (shrink)

This essay draws on the work of Jacques Derrida and Angela Y. Davis towards a philosophical resistance to the death penalty in the U.S. I find promise in Derrida’s claim that resistance to the death penalty ought to contest a political structure that founds itself on having the power to decide life and death, but I move beyond Derrida’s desire to consider the abolition of the death penalty without engaging with the particular histories and geographies of European colonialism. I offer (...) a critique of Derrida’s recently published work on the death penalty by engaging with the work of Davis and argue that discussions of state violence in nations that inherit European forms of sovereignty must take seriously the racist violence on which those sovereign powers rely. (shrink)

Arab countries have adopted market economy principles and pursued policies designed to strengthen their economies. The cornerstone of Arab countries' long-term economic objectives has been to increase trade and support economic growth via regional and global integration. To this end, Arab countries are attempting to broaden their engagement in the multilateral trading system by joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, some Arab countries entered into trade arrangements with the United States (U.S.) to foster economic development, attract investment, (...) and develop peaceful relationship. These trade agreements carry several implications for local economies. (shrink)

World peace was a common theoretical consideration among philosophers during Europe’s Enlightenment period. The first robust essay on peace was written by Charles Irénée Castel de Saint- Pierre, which sparked an intellectual debate among prominent philosophers like Jean- Jacques Rousseau and Jeremy Bentham, who offered their own treatises on the concept of peace. Perhaps the most influential of all such writings comes from Immanuel Kant, who argues that world peace is no “high- flown or exaggerated notion” but rather a natural (...) result of the rational progression of the human species. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, the mastermind behind the formation of the League of Nations in 1920 that provided the scaffolding to today’s United Nations, read Kant’s philosophy while he was a student at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Some have argued that it is no coincidence that the per-son responsible for embarking upon the first serious political pursuit of world peace on a global scale was familiar with Kant. Indeed, William Galston claims that “Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points [for world peace] were a faithful transcription of both the letter and spirit of Kant’s Perpetual Peace.”3 Historical connections aside, the question remains as to whether Kant’s philosophy is a viable conception of peace in a contemporary context. Using the conceptual distinction of positive and negative peace provided by Johan Galtung, I argue that Kant’s philosophy does provide the scaffolding for a viable conception of peace. In particular, I provide particular examples as to what social rights must be included in a Kantian model of peace. (shrink)

The corporate meltdowns of this and the previous decade in the US - WorldCom, Enron, Tyco, and in Australia - FAI, HIH and AWB being among the many examples - have resulted in the governments of those two countries introducing legislation and policy guidelines aimed at minimising future corporate misbehaviour. -/- The US has introduced the Sarbanes Oxley Act, with requirements on corporate accountants and auditors, as well as its whistleblowing provisions. It has revised the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations. (...) New rules for the NYSE and NASDAQ have also been introduced. In addition, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Department of Justice have further strengthened the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977, last revised in 1997. -/- Australia has revised the Corporations Act to include whistleblower protection clauses as well as adopted the ASX Corporate Governance guidelines. Standards Australia has issued its handbook on corporate governance. Although not a business issue, the Australian government has also announced that it will introduce whistleblower protection legislation for the public sector by the end of its first term in office. This legislation will likely influence whatever the private sector does in this respect. The inclusion of whistleblower protection in both Sarbanes–Oxley and the Corporations Act reflects a growing body of research that finds that people internal to an organisation are the most effective way to identify corporate wrongs. The Commonwealth Treasury has recently issued an options paper, stating that the Corporations Act has been ineffectual. It has sought submissions on revisions to the legislation that the Australian Government could take. This paper examines the policies advocated by over 20 organisations and academics concerned with whistleblowing issues. It draws the conclusion that on current indications, even after further reform, Australian legislation and policies are still likely to be less effectual than overseas practices. -/- --------------------------------- . (shrink)

Sir Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) was a prominent Quaker astrophysicist at Cambridge University who made an extraordinary impact on inter-war physics, helping to communicate relativity, cosmology and quantum physics to a popular audience. He was also a prolific science communicator whose philosophical reflections on the meaning of the new physics captivated global audiences. His quest for a theory of everything, though unsuccessful, came from his conviction that the nature of ultimate reality was spiritual, and is underappreciated for its historical (...) impact. Much can be learned from his legacy of trying to harmonize science and faith to a larger audience searching for meaning. Eddington’s ambitious attempt at a Christian theory of everything deserves further examination and can still teach us much about our approach to science and religion. (shrink)

As the geopolitical superpowers race to regulate the digital realm, their divergent rights-centered, market-driven, and social-control-based approaches require a global compact on digital regulation. If diverse regulatory jurisdictions remain, forms of domination entailed by cultural imposition and hermeneutical injustice related to AI legislation and AI systems will follow. We argue for consensual regulation on shared substantive issues, accompanied by proper standardization and coordination. Failure to attain consensus will fragment global digital regulation, enable regulatory capture by authoritarian powers or (...) bad corporate actors, and deepen the historical geopolitical power asymmetries between the global South and the global North. To prevent an unjust regulatory landscape where the global South’s cultural and hermeneutic resources are absent, two principles for the Global Digital Compact to counter these prospective harms are proposed and discussed: (1) “recognitive consensus on key substantive benefits and harms” and (2) “procedural consensus on global coordination and essential standards.”. (shrink)

The World’s Leading Research and Development Institutions and Companies -/- Introduction -/- Research and Development (R&D) is the backbone of global innovation, driving technological progress, economic growth, and scientific discoveries. Across the world, top institutions and corporations invest billions of dollars into R&D to push the boundaries of human knowledge and create groundbreaking technologies. This essay explores the most influential research institutions and companies shaping the future through their contributions in science, engineering, medicine, and technology. -/- The Role of (...) Research Institutions in Global Innovation -/- Research institutions play a crucial role in advancing fundamental and applied sciences. Many of these institutions are publicly funded universities and government research agencies that focus on a wide range of disciplines, from medicine and engineering to artificial intelligence and space exploration. -/- 1. Leading Research Institutions -/- Some of the most prestigious research institutions include: -/- National Institutes of Health (NIH) – USA: The primary agency of the U.S. government responsible for biomedical and public health research. -/- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – USA: A global leader in aerospace and space exploration, NASA continues to innovate in space technology and planetary science. -/- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) – France: The largest governmental research organization in France, covering all scientific disciplines. -/- Max Planck Society – Germany: A network of research institutes in Germany, known for excellence in science and technology. -/- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) – China: China’s premier research institution focuses on science and technology innovation across various fields. -/- Harvard University – USA: Leads in biomedical research, social sciences, and humanities. -/- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – USA: At the forefront of engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing research. -/- Stanford University – USA: Known for its deep ties to Silicon Valley, Stanford plays a key role in tech innovation. -/- University of Oxford & University of Cambridge – UK: Both institutions are among the oldest and most respected in the world, conducting high-impact research in medicine, engineering, and the humanities. -/- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) – Switzerland: Excels in engineering and natural sciences research. -/- University of Tokyo – Japan: Japan’s leading university, known for its research in science and technology. -/- California Institute of Technology (Caltech) – USA: A leader in space science and physics. -/- Imperial College London – UK: Specializes in engineering, medical, and business research. -/- University of Toronto – Canada: A top institution in AI, robotics, and engineering. -/- 2. Engineering and Technology Research Leaders -/- Engineering research institutions contribute to infrastructure, automation, and digital transformation. Some of the most prominent ones include: -/- University of California, Berkeley – USA: Known for its research in engineering, computer science, and environmental science. -/- University of Pennsylvania – USA: Invests in innovative engineering projects. -/- University of Michigan – USA: Known for technological advancements in multiple fields. -/- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) – Switzerland: Excels in engineering and digital research. -/- Tsinghua University – China: A leader in AI, renewable energy, and industrial automation research. -/- The Role of Private Companies in Research and Development -/- Private corporations play a major role in R&D, investing heavily in emerging technologies, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, and industrial innovations. Many of the world’s biggest companies spend billions to maintain leadership in their respective fields. -/- 1. Leading Technology Companies in R&D -/- Amazon ($73.2B in R&D spending, 2022): Focuses on cloud computing, AI, logistics, and automation. -/- Alphabet (Google) ($39.5B in R&D, 2022): Invests in AI, quantum computing, and search algorithms. -/- Meta (Facebook) ($35.3B in R&D, 2022): Focuses on AI, VR, and the Metaverse. -/- Apple ($27.7B in R&D, 2022): Leads in consumer electronics and semiconductor technology. -/- Microsoft ($26.6B in R&D, 2022): Invests in AI, cloud computing, and software innovation. -/- 2. Engineering and Industrial Companies in R&D -/- Volkswagen ($19.88B in R&D, 2022): A leader in automotive engineering and electric vehicles. -/- Samsung ($19.29B in R&D, 2022): Develops advanced semiconductors and electronics. -/- Intel ($17.53B in R&D, 2022): Focuses on microprocessors and AI hardware. -/- Huawei ($24B in R&D, 2022): Leads in telecommunications and 5G development. -/- Siemens – Germany: A global leader in industrial automation, medical technology, and smart infrastructure. -/- Nokia – Finland: Focuses on telecommunications infrastructure and technology development. -/- Sony – Japan: Invests in consumer electronics, gaming, and entertainment technologies. -/- Boeing – USA: Develops aerospace technology, defense systems, and commercial aircraft innovations. -/- General Electric (GE) – USA: Focuses on energy, aviation, and industrial automation R&D. -/- 3. Pharmaceutical and Biotech Research Leaders -/- Roche ($14.72B in R&D, 2022): A leading pharmaceutical company specializing in diagnostics and biotech innovations. -/- Pfizer: Known for vaccine development, including the COVID-19 vaccine. -/- Moderna: A pioneer in mRNA technology for medical treatments. -/- Johnson & Johnson: Invests heavily in medical devices and pharmaceuticals. -/- Bristol-Myers Squibb – USA: Focuses on biopharmaceutical research, including immunology and oncology. -/- AstraZeneca – UK/Sweden: Invests in pharmaceutical research, particularly in oncology and cardiovascular diseases. -/- The Impact of R&D on Society and the Future -/- The advancements driven by R&D have a profound impact on global society. Some of the most significant areas of innovation include: -/- Healthcare: Research in biotechnology, gene therapy, and medical AI is revolutionizing healthcare, leading to personalized medicine and new treatments for previously incurable diseases. -/- Artificial Intelligence: AI research in institutions and companies is driving automation, machine learning, and deep learning applications. -/- Sustainable Energy: Engineering research is focusing on renewable energy, electric vehicles, and smart grid technologies to combat climate change. -/- Space Exploration: Organizations like NASA, SpaceX, and ESA are expanding human exploration beyond Earth. -/- Telecommunications: Companies like Huawei, Nokia, and Qualcomm are leading the development of 5G and future wireless communication technologies. -/- Automotive Industry: Electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, and autonomous driving are key research areas for companies like Tesla, Volkswagen, and Toyota. -/- Conclusion -/- The world’s leading R&D institutions and companies are shaping the future through their groundbreaking work in science, engineering, medicine, and technology. Universities and research centers provide the foundation for discovery, while corporations drive commercial applications of these innovations. As investments in R&D continue to grow, humanity will witness even greater advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and space exploration, ultimately improving lives and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. -/- . (shrink)

China’s South China Sea Claims: A Path to Peace and Sustainability -/- Introduction -/- China’s aggressive claims over the South China Sea have sparked tensions with neighboring countries and global powers. Despite its economic and military strength, China avoids large-scale war, likely due to the devastating consequences it would bring. If China truly seeks long-term peace and stability, it should consider abandoning its territorial claims and focusing on sustainable population management. These actions would not only improve regional stability but (...) also ensure China’s long-term prosperity. -/- China’s Motivations for Controlling the South China Sea -/- China’s claim over the South China Sea is driven by several strategic reasons: -/- 1. Military and Strategic Control -/- The South China Sea is a crucial maritime route that allows China to expand its military presence. By controlling the waters, China creates a defensive buffer against potential threats from the U.S. and allied nations. -/- 2. Economic and Trade Significance -/- An estimated $3.4 trillion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea annually. Controlling these routes gives China leverage over global trade. -/- 3. Natural Resource Extraction -/- The South China Sea is rich in oil, gas, and fisheries. By claiming these waters, China aims to secure vital resources to sustain its economy and feed its large population. -/- 4. Nationalism and Political Power -/- The Chinese government promotes its territorial claims as a matter of national pride. This strengthens domestic support for the Communist Party, reinforcing its political control. -/- Why China Should Stop Its South China Sea Claims -/- While China’s motivations are clear, continuing its aggressive claims poses serious risks: -/- 1. Risk of War and Economic Disruptions -/- A military conflict over the South China Sea would be catastrophic, disrupting global trade and damaging China’s economy. -/- The U.S. and other countries have strengthened their military presence in the region, increasing the chances of confrontation. -/- 2. Damaging International Reputation -/- China’s defiance of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling, which rejected its territorial claims, has hurt its global standing. -/- A more cooperative approach would improve China’s diplomatic relationships and reduce sanctions or trade restrictions. -/- 3. Better Alternatives for Economic Growth -/- Instead of claiming new territory, China could invest in renewable energy and technological innovation to sustain its economy. -/- Strengthening trade partnerships and economic cooperation with ASEAN countries would be more beneficial than military expansion. -/- Sustainable Population Management: A Better Solution -/- China’s massive population has historically driven its need for resources, making territorial expansion seem necessary. However, rather than claiming new land and waters, China should focus on population sustainability: -/- 1. Current Demographic Challenges -/- China’s population is aging, and birth rates are declining. Instead of expanding territory, China should adjust its policies to manage population decline in a sustainable way. -/- 2. Benefits of a Sustainable Population -/- A well-managed population would reduce resource consumption, easing pressure on food, water, and energy supplies. -/- It would shift China’s focus toward improving living standards rather than acquiring more land and resources. -/- 3. Sustainability Over Expansion -/- Investing in green energy, technology, and efficient urban planning is a better long-term strategy than fighting for new territories. -/- A smaller, more sustainable population would allow China to focus on quality of life rather than aggressive economic and military expansion. -/- Conclusion -/- China’s claim over the South China Sea is driven by economic, military, and political motivations. However, this aggressive stance risks conflict, economic instability, and international isolation. Instead of expanding its territorial claims, China should focus on diplomacy, economic cooperation, and sustainable population management. A peaceful and sustainable approach will ensure China’s stability and prosperity without the need for confrontation. -/- . (shrink)

В статье рассмотрена деятельность ведущих кредитных рейтинговых агентств (Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investors Service и Standard & Poor's) в контексте снижения информационной ценности кредитных рейтингов, которые они присваивают, и сохранения доминирующих позиций на рынке финансового рейтингования. Целью исследования является рассмотрение деятельности кредитных рейтинговых агентств в измерении социального конструкционизма в процессе осуществления государственной финансовой политики, объясняя сопротивление регулятивной модели их деятельности многочисленным вызовам и переменам. Подход новой институциональной социологии в управлении мы сделали чувствительным к проблематике институциональных изменений во времени. Таким образом, мы (...) высказались за трактовку вопроса о неизменности организации деятельности КРА в соответствии с условиями нового социологического институционализма. То есть, дается приоритет когнитивной основе институтов, служащей поддержкой конкретного проявления социального порядка и дающей отличный способ для его понимания. (shrink)

При дослідженні впливу застосування інноваційних хімічних речовин в сільському господарстві на міжнародну торгівлю продовольчою продукцією, було розглянуто позитивні й негативні сторони хімізації сільського господарства й виявлено, що цей процес, безумовно, є масштабним проривом в науково-технічному прогресі. Він заснований на широкому застосуванні хімічних речовин в рослинництві й тваринництві, і приводить до значного підвищення конкурентоздатності сільськогосподарської продукції, яка полягає в притаманних їй якісних характеристиках та рівні ціни. В результаті аналізу та узагальнення поглядів сучасних вчених, що вивчають міжнародну торгівлю інноваційною продукцією, було встановлено (...) наступне: країни, що експортують результати діяльності, в якій застосовувалися передові технології, показують швидше зростання обсягів експорту, ніж експортери продуктів застарілої технології. (shrink)

Розглянуто проблеми та перспективи регулювання міжнародної торгівлі товарами в Україні.

Опубліковано результати наукових досліджень студентів напрямів та спеціальностей підготовки “Міжнародні економічні відносини”, “Управління персоналом та економіка праці”, “Міжнародна економіка” викладені на регіональній науково-практичній студентській конференції “Шляхи адаптації національної економіки до сучасних викликів глобалізації” 21.03.2016 р. Тези доповідей друкуються методом прямого відтворення тексту, представленого авторами, які несуть відповідальність за його форму і зміст. Узагальнено дослідження стану розвитку світового господарства і визначено форми адаптації національної економіки України до загальноцивілізаційних тенденцій. Учасники конференції звернули свою увагу на такі основні моменти, як: глобальні проблеми, загрози (...) та виклики економічного розвитку; вплив міжнародних економічних організацій на спрямування економічного розвитку; участь України у сучасних глобалізаційних процесах; оптимізація соціально-економічних трансформацій національної економіки до сучасних глобалізаційних вимог; наслідки та перспективи співпраці України зі Світовою організацією торгівлі; стан і перспективи людського розвитку в Україні та світі. Призначено для використання на семінарських і практичних заняттях, а також під час підготовки курсових і дипломних робіт. (shrink)

Штучний інтелект займає зараз першорядне значення серед сучасних технологій, і, крім цього, у будь-якому випадку ми все одно не зможемо ніяк запобігти розвитку такого пристрою, наука не стоїть на місці, вона завжди прогресує, і коли вже трохи прочинені двері у цій галузі, то важко зупинитися у ще більшому вивченні. Та й не потрібно. Все-таки цілком ймовірно, що штучний інтелект складе конкуренцію людині розумній. А що буде насправді, поки можемо тільки здогадуватися.

The article deals with the integration of Vietnamese science into the global scientific community in a scientometric aspect. In the course of the study, we have seen that Vietnamese scientists are actively involved in the integration process, in particular in the field of presenting their research in international scientometric databases. It is shown that international integration of science is supported at the state policy level both in the form of directives and in the form of financial support for research. (...) A comparative study of WoS and Scopus international scientometric databases, as well as the regional ACI database and the national V-CitationGate, has determined that the level of Vietnamese scientific journals in these databases is currently low. Regarding the indexing of scientific publications by Vietnamese researchers, there is an annual increase in Vietnamese articles in the international WoS and Scopus databases. Vietnam has the highest trend of increasing the number of articles in these bases in the region. It is determined that the reasons for the increase are directives for applicants for academic degrees and academic titles, requirements of employers of science and education, various types of incentives, requirements of grantors, participation in international projects and cooperation with foreign colleagues. It is found that scientometric measurements of labor productivity are used not only in Vietnam’s scientific institutions, but also actively involved in universities, which strengthen their position not only as educational but also as scientific centers. It is revealed that the educational institutions that have the most publications in international science databases are the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the largest Vietnamese universities. Regarding to the distribution of publications by the fields of knowledge, the science are leading by a large margin, and the amount of the art and humanities among the Vietnamese publications still is very few. (shrink)

Особистість як соціальна якість людини є предметом соціальних наук: філософії, соціології, психології та ін. Соціологія досліджує особистість як суб'єкт соціальних відносин, виділяючи в ній соціально-типові характеристики, які розвиваються під впливом соціальних інститутів, а також шляхи та канали зворотного впливу особистості на соціальний світ. Отже, специфіка соціологічного підходу до вивчення особистості полягає в тому, що він аналізує її суто соціальні характеристики.

Трансформаційні процеси, що відбуваються в сучасному українському суспільстві, супроводжуються глибокою кризою всіх сфер його життєдіяльності. При цьому стрімкими темпами відбувається заповнення соціального простору девіантними цінностями, порушення (або ігнорування) значною частиною індивідів існуючих норм права та моралі. За умов кризового стану суспільства, особистість виявилася в складній ситуації вибору цінностей, пріоритетів, способів адаптації. І найбільш гостро ця проблема стоїть саме перед молоддю. Під девіантною (лат. deviatio – відхилення) поведінкою розуміються: 1) вчинок, дії людини, що не відповідають офіційно встановленим чи фактично сформованим у (...) даному суспільстві нормам (стандартам, шаблонам); 2) соціальне явище, виражене в масових формах людської діяльності, що не відповідає офіційно встановленим чи фактично сформованим у даному суспільстві нормам (стандартам, шаблонам). (shrink)

Економічна соціологія – міжгалузевий науковий напрям, галузь соціологічного знання, що вивчає економіку як соціальний інститут, закономірності її розвитку та функціонування. Економіку вона розглядає як один із базових елементів суспільства, тісно пов'язаний з його соціальною структурою і соціальними процесами. Відповідно економічна соціологія покликана досліджувати економічне життя, розвиток економіки як соціальний процес, спонукуваний активністю соціальних суб'єктів, інтересами, взаємодією соціальних спільнот. Особливий інтерес виявляє вона до взаємодії економічної та соціальної сфер, до взаємовпливу та взаємозбагачення економічних і соціальних процесів. Вона зосереджується не на відокремлених (...) явищах, тенденціях в економічному та соціальному бутті і навіть не на їх взаємозв'язку, а на механізмах, що породжують і регулюють ці взаємозв’язки. Не менше цікавить її вплив соціальних механізмів на перебіг та особливості економічних процесів. (shrink)

An interesting aspect of Ernest Sosa’s (2017) recent thinking is that enhanced performances (e.g., the performance of an athlete under the influence of a performance-enhancing drug) fall short of aptness, and this is because such enhanced performances do not issue from genuine competences on the part of the agent. In this paper, I explore in some detail the implications of such thinking in Sosa’s wider virtue epistemology, with a focus on cases of cognitive enhancement. A certain puzzle is then highlighted, (...) and the solution proposed draws from both the recent moral responsibility literature on guidance control (e.g., Fischer and Ravizza 1998; Fischer 2012) as well as from work on cognitive integration in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science (e.g., Clark and Chalmers 1998; Clark 2008; Pritchard 2010; Palermos 2014; Carter 2017). (shrink)

The work of Thomas White represents a systematic attempt to combine the best of the new science of the seventeenth century with the best of Aristotelian tradition. This attempt earned him the criticism of Hobbes and the praise of Leibniz, but today, most of his attempts to navigate between traditions remain to be explored in detail. This paper does so for his ontology of accidents. It argues that his criticism of accidents in the category of location as entities over and (...) above substances was likely aimed at Francisco Suárez, and shows how White’s worries about the analysis of location were linked with his broader cosmological views. White rejects real qualities, but holds that the quantity of a substance is somehow distinct from its bearer. This reveals a common ground with some of his scholastic interlocutors, but lays bare a deep disagreement with thinkers like Descartes on the nature of matter. (shrink)

The global rollout of Covid-19 vaccination has amplified concerns regarding vaccination hesitancy, which presents a formidable challenge for public health authorities. While widespread vaccination is imperative for containing the virus, hesitancy arises from multiple factors, including apprehensions about potential long-term vaccine side-effects and misconceptions about vaccination. This has prompted discussions about the feasibility of mandating Covid-19 vaccination, especially for specific groups like healthcare professionals and the general public. This paper critically examines the tension between a paternalistic approach and individual (...) autonomy, advocating for a balanced strategy that considers both public health imperatives and individual rights. Drawing insights from existing literature, the study emphasizes the need for a nuanced and pragmatic approach to address vaccine hesitancy effectively. (shrink)

The paper provides an analysis of Martin Buber’s intellectual conversion and shows how it facilitates a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of nationalism. Buber, who is today known mainly as a key representative of dialogical philosophy, was in the 1910s part of the double wave of German and Jewish nationalism which strongly affected the German-speaking Jewish public. Buber provided intellectual support for this wave of nationalism and interpreted World War I as a unique chance for the spiritual unification of European (...) Jewry. Consequent to his conflict with Gustav Landauer Buber underwent a complex intellectual and existential transformation. He abandoned key concepts of his pre-dialogical thought and laid the foundations of his dialogical thought. He rejected his endorsement of Geman nationalism and substantially reevaluated his political positions. The analysis of Buber’s intellectual development sheds light on some important aspects of the dynamics of nationalism. (shrink)

The thesis of this article is that Feyerabend’s philosophy of science, hinged on his pillar of ‘anarchism’ and ‘anything goes’ can serve as a challenge for scientific and technological development in Africa. Africa has been largely tagged as ‘underdeveloped’ because she has failed to chart her own course of scientific development, and has somewhat felt satisfied playing the dependent role. This work agrees with Feyerabend’s thesis that knowledge (scientific) is a local commodity designed to solve local problems. Using the textual (...) and contextual methods we contend that every culture, certainly including Africa, can harness her own indigenous scientific categories and develop from her own local perspective. We reason with Feyerabend that Western science is not sacrosanct, nor its method of rationality the only path toward development. The work reveals that Feyerabend’s views, though challenging and somewhat intriguing, are very congenial to our African experience. Thus we conclude by adumbrating some positive implications that his views have for the Africans, especially towards scientific and even technological development. (shrink)

Every person has his/her own unique signature that is used mainly for the purposes of personal identification and verification of important documents or legal transactions. There are two kinds of signature verification: static and dynamic. Static(off-line) verification is the process of verifying an electronic or document signature after it has been made, while dynamic(on-line) verification takes place as a person creates his/her signature on a digital tablet or a similar device. Offline signature verification is not efficient and slow for a (...) large number of documents. To overcome the drawbacks of offline signature verification, we have seen a growth in online biometric personal verification such as fingerprints, eye scan etc. In this paper we created CNN model using python for offline signature and after training and validating, the accuracy of testing was 99.70%. (shrink)

Abstract: Tomatoes are part of the major crops in food security. Tomatoes are plants grown in temperate and hot regions of South American origin from Peru, and then spread to most countries of the world. Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C and mineral salts, and are recommended for people with constipation, diabetes and patients with heart and body diseases. Studies and scientific studies have proven the importance of eating tomato juice in reducing the activity of platelets in diabetics, which (...) helps in protecting them from developing deadly blood clots. A tomato classification approach is presented with a data set containing approximately 5,266 images with 7 species belonging to tomatoes. The Neural Network Algorithms (CNN), a deep learning technique applied widely in image recognition, is used for this task. (shrink)

This dissertation explores and argues for the import of the imagination (Phantasie) in Edmund Husserl's phenomenological method of inquiry. It contends that Husserl's extensive analyses of the imagination influenced how he came to conceive the phenomenological method throughout the main stages of his philosophical career. The work clarifies Husserl's complex method of investigation by considering the role of the imagination in his main methodological apparatuses: the phenomenological, eidetic, and transcendental reductions, and eidetic variation - all of which remained ambiguous despite (...) his extensive programmatic discussions. The work illuminates and clarifies aspects of the Husserlian phenomenological method never before explored. -/- In order to clarify Husserl's eidetic method of inquiry, I propose a new way of thinking about the imagination - as direct intuitive presentation (eigentliche anschauliche Vorstellung) and as horizonal-nexic level of consciousness exhibiting the neutrality, freedom, and possibility as its essential features. Following Husserl's studies of the imagination, I propose a three-level model of consciousness (realizing, imagining, and eidetic) and explore the dynamic flexibility of each level (as horizon within which acts such as judgments or memories can unfold). This model of consciousness allows for a rethinking of the sources and conditions for the possibility of eidetic phenomenological inquiry - topics Husserl was mostly silent about. -/- Through a rethinking of the model of consciousness, I propose a tight and substantial relationship between the natural (everyday) and artificial (methodological, theoretical) attitudes. I argue that the structure and systems of possibilities pertaining to the artificial attitude - i.e., our actual as well as possible methodological tools - are structurally and well as informationally bound to the structure and system of possibilities pertaining to the natural attitude. In order to explore the nature of the relationship between these two attitudes I argue that we must take a closer look at the structure and abilities of imagining consciousness - the sole nexic-horizonal level that can function both naturally and artificially. This insight regarding the nature of consciousness clarifies Husserl's transcendental idealism in its intimate connection to the everyday. Understanding Husserl's philosophical stance is thus purged of all possibility of mistakenly labeling it as entailing immanent detachment, solipsism, or Platonic idealism. (shrink)

En esta obra monumental de Jesper Lützen sobre la mecánica de Heinrich Hertz encontramos una magnífica exposición de la vida y obra de este insigne físico germano. Un interesante relato de las influencias intelectuales que modelaron su pensamiento científico, culmina con un exhaustivo análisis de la reformulación de la mecánica clásica que Hertz planteó poco antes de su prematuro fallecimiento.

In their thought-provoking paper, Legg and Hutter consider a certain abstrac- tion of an intelligent agent, and define a universal intelligence measure, which assigns every such agent a numerical intelligence rating. We will briefly summarize Legg and Hutter’s paper, and then give a tongue-in-cheek argument that if one’s goal is to become more intelligent by cultivating music appreciation, then it is bet- ter to use classical music (such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven) than to use more recent pop music. The (...) same argument could be adapted to other media: books beat films, card games beat first-person shooters, parables beat dissertations, etc. We leave it to the reader to decide whether this argument tells us something about classical music, something about Legg-Hutter intelligence, or something about both. (shrink)

Can you find an xy-equation that, when graphed, writes itself on the plane? This idea became internet-famous when a Wikipedia article on Tupper’s self-referential formula went viral in 2012. Under scrutiny, the question has two flaws: it is meaningless (it depends on typography) and it is trivial (for reasons we will explain). We fix these flaws by formalizing the problem, and we give a very general solution using techniques from computability theory.

In Naked, Krista K. Thomason offers a multi-faceted account of shame, covering its nature as an emotion, its positive and negative roles in moral life, its association with violence, and its provocation through invitations to shame, public shaming, and stigmatization. Along the way, she reflects on a range of examples drawn from literature, memoirs, journalism, and her own imagination. She also considers alternative views at length, draws a wealth of important distinctions, and articulates many of the most intuitive objections to (...) her own view in order to defend it more thoroughly. As such, the book’s subtitle, The Dark Side of Shame and Moral Life, undersells its scope and ambition. This is an exploration not just of shame’s dark side but a kaleidoscopic appreciation of both the nature and the (dis)value of shame and shaming. Somewhat undercutting this breadth, Thomason relies heavily on Kantian intuitions about equal respect and recognition for persons and their dignity; in several key arguments, she tells us to disregard predictable and systematic consequences of emotions, practices, and institutions so that we can better focus on their constitutive or internal aspects. Of course, every philosopher inevitably brings theoretical commitments to bear when writing about moral psychology, but non-Kantian readers should be forewarned that — despite the fact that Thomason says that she does “not assume any particular moral theory” — her ethical conclusions about shaming and stigmatizing are likely to be plausible only to those who are already snugly tied into a web of “Kantian commitments” (p. 9). (shrink)

In this chapter, we address the roles that exemplars might play in a comprehensive response to epistemic injustice. Fricker defines epistemic injustices as harms people suffer specifically in their capacity as (potential) knowers. We focus on testimonial epistemic injustice, which occurs when someone’s assertoric speech acts are systematically met with either too little or too much credence by a biased audience. Fricker recommends a virtue­theoretic response: people who do not suffer from biases should try to maintain their disposition towards naive (...) testimonial justice, and those who find themselves already biased should cultivate corrective testimonial justice by systematically adjusting their credence in testimony up or down depending on whether they are hearing from someone whom they may be biased against or in favor of. We doubt that the prominent admiration­emulation model of exemplarism will be much use in this connection, so we propose two ways of learning from negative exemplars to better conduct one’s epistemic affairs. In the admiration­emulation model, both the identification of what a virtue is and the cultivation of virtues identified thusly proceed through the admiration of virtuous exemplars. We show that this model has serious flaws and argue for two alternatives: the envy­agonism model and the ambivalence­avoidance model. (shrink)

This article is a defense of John Rawls against recent criticism, ironically my own, though it is also a critique insofar as it addresses a problem that Rawls never does. The original charges were that Rawls’s decision procedure for ethics does not justify his own moral principles, especially those making up his liberal conception of justice, and that the underlying problem may well keep the decision procedure from justifying any moral principles whatsoever, or at least any normatively useful ones. These (...) difficulties are manifested in the work of Rawls as the dogmatism of championing a distinctive conception of justice, a liberal one as he himself calls it, through a justification model that comes across as too objective to permit such a bias and too universal to support any substantive conclusions at all. The solution contemplated here is to position the decision procedure as a justification model responsive to moral progress, and thereby equally open to all moral input, thus removing the inconsistency between the inherent universalism of the design and the distinctive character of the outcome, including the moral principles Rawls himself recommends, so long as they are consistent with moral progress. (shrink)

John Perry has recently developed a form of Compatibilism that respects the Principle of Alternatives (PA), according to which free agency requires having the ability to do more than one thing. Eschewing so-called Frankfurt counterexamples to this intuitively plausible principle, long the bête noire of those who would like to believe in free agency and Determinism, Perry argues that there is an important sense in which we can act differently than we do. It signifies the “natural” property of possessing a (...) latent ability, a notion free of the mysteriousness surrounding accounts of the freedom to do otherwise based on religious or even philosophical considerations, yet sufficient to conceptually ground our assignments of praise and blame. Perry goes on to advise his readers to abandon all such unscientific accounts in favor of his common sense approach. -/- I argue that Perry’s Compatibilism (PC) leads to the same objection as other Humean versions thereof, as well as fails to explain certain intuitions regarding self-control and initiative. I conclude with an assessment of the prospects for his proposed revision of PC, written in light of these concerns. (shrink)

In his seminal essay, 'Two Concepts of Rules', John Rawls draws a central distinction between justifying a practice and justifying a particular action falling under it. In this review, Leslie Allan walks through Rawls's essay, highlighting his key arguments for a strengthened version of rule utilitarianism and reflecting on the lasting influence of his analysis.

Academic study of religion, embracing what at the University of Dhaka is called World Religions and Culture, is a relatively new eld of scholarship in the world. It is only beginning to emerge in Bangladesh and other South asian countries. as distinguished om the theological study of reli‐ gion, which favours one’s own faith tradition, academic study of religion uses the same descriptive, analytic and critical academic criteria and methods to study any form of religious life, including one’s own. In (...) this paper, there has been an e ort to discuss the basic di erences between these two sorts of study. The paper then explores the brief history of academic study of religion in the modern world and how it came into being at Dhaka University (DU) as the Department of World Religions & Culture (WRC) under the faculty of arts. Finally, the crucial role of late Professor Dr. Joseph T. O’Connell (1940–2012) in forming the Department and its a liated Centre for Inter‐religious & Intercultural Dialogue (CIID) as an academic place for the study, teaching and doing research on the di erent religious issues for the promotion of multi‐religious and multi‐ cultural peace and harmony in Bangladesh is discussed. The paper has been written on the bases of the o cial documents of Dhaka University as for the existence of WRC and CIID, academic activities and works of faculty members of WRC, especially of Professor Dr. Joseph T. O’Connell, along with other primary and secondary literary sources relevant to the academic study of religion. (shrink)

Background: Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home. Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any (...) given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime. Objectives: The main goal of this expert system is to get the appropriate diagnosis of disease and the correct treatment and give the appropriate method of treatment through several tips that concern the disease and how to treat it and we will see it through the application on the expert system. Methods: in this paper the design of the proposed Expert System which was produced to help Psychologist in diagnosing depression disease through its symptoms such as: a loss of energy, a change in appetite, sleeping more or less, anxiety, reduced concentration, indecisiveness, restlessness, feelings of worthlessness, guilt or hopelessness and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. The proposed expert system presents an overview about depression disease is given, the cause of diseases is outlined and the treatment of disease whenever possible is given out. SL5 Object Expert System language was used for designing and implementing the proposed expert system. Results: The proposed depression disease diagnosis expert system was evaluated by psychologist students and they were satisfied with its performance. Conclusions: The Proposed expert system is very useful for psychologist, patients with depression and newly graduated psychologist. (shrink)

I develop a phenomenological account of racialized encounters with works of art and film, wherein the racialized viewer feels cast as perpetually past, coming “too late” to intervene in the meaning of her own representation. This points to the distinctive role that the colonial past plays in mediating and constructing our self-images. I draw on my experience of three exhibitions that take Muslims and/or Arabs as their subject matter and that ostensibly try to interrupt or subvert racialization while reproducing some (...) of its tropes. My examples are the Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2015), the exposition Welten der Muslime at the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin (2011–2017), and a sculpture by Bob and Roberta Smith at the Leeds City Art Gallery, created in response to the imperial power painting, General Gordon’s Last Stand, that is housed there. My interest is in how artworks contribute to the experience of being racialized in ways that not only amplify the circulation of images but also constitute difficult temporal relations to images. Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, I argue that such racialized images are temporally gluey, or stuck, so that we are weighted and bogged down by them. This essay received Honorable Mention from the American Society for Aesthetics Feminist Caucus Committee in the Feminist Research Essay prize in 2020. (shrink)

Literature, in particular philosophical literature, proves to be particularly challenging when read in isolation from the philosophy it comes from. Reading Sarte’s Nausea through Kierkegaard illuminates important themes of language, music, the ethical and aesthetic, and immediacy in both Nausea and Kierkegaard’s various pseudonymous works. The comparison here is extremely fruitful given the poetic and literary form of Kierkegaard’s work, especially against this particular work from Sartre. The themes in Nausea that are examined are interestingly not present in his other (...) works and are necessary in some regard to be brought forth in a novel rather than a philosophical treatise. (shrink)

Social dimension of moral responsibility has started to gain more attention in moral philosophy, be it within the network of action theory, or any other meta-ethical domain. Although there are many social acts and therefore social dimensions of responsibility, I aim to indicate one aspect of sociality in our thinking and practice, particularly in our moral thinking, that is the thick concepts. In this work, I consider Vargas’s concept moral ecology (2015, 2018) as a tool to understand certain social aspects (...) of moral responsibility, while claiming to extend his line of thinking in moral ecology by giving a more active role to the individual agent within the ecology that she is engaged in. I claim that when we understand the relationships between the agent and her surrounding ecology in a more complex, and under certain circumstances in a rather reciprocal way, we can have a better and more nuanced understanding of non-ideal moral landscapes that we are engaged in, while maintaining a certain kind of responsibility to the agents in their social environments. I will use the term niche construction and niche selection – concept that are already at use within the similar biological line of thought within action – to refer to such situations where agents are actively shaping their environments. (shrink)

Is the Right to the City (RTTC) still a useful framework for a transformative urban politics? Given recent scholarly criticism of its real-world applications and appropriations, in this paper, we argue that the transformative promise in the RTTC lies beyond its role as a framework for oppositional struggle, and in its normative ends. Building upon Henri Lefebvre's original writing on the subject, we develop a “radical-cooperative” conception of the RTTC. Such a view, which is grounded in the lived experiences of (...) the current city, envisions an urban society in which inhabitants can pursue their material and social needs through self-governed cooperation across social difference. Growing and diversifying spaces and sectors of urban life that are decoupled from global capitalism are, we argue, necessary to create space for this inclusionary politics. While grassroots action is essential to this process, so is multi-scalar support from the state. (shrink)

The philosophical debate on the freedom of movement focuses almost exclusively on long-term migration, what I call, migration as settlement. The normative justifications defending border controls assume that the movement of people across political borders, independent of its purpose and the length of stay, refers to migration as settlement. “Global mobility,” “international movement,” and “immigration” are oftenused interchangeably. However, global mobility also refers to the movements of people across international borders for a short length of time such as (...) travel, short-term and circular migration. While most scholarly attention has focused on long-term migration, the vast majority of cross-border movement of people (approximately 85% of all cross-border movements in 2019) is short-term. The existing literature offers normative arguments for border controls, which are grounded on states’ right to self-determination, the freedom of (dis)association, the welfare state, the duty to compatriots, and brain drain. In this paper, I argue that these arguments do not justify excluding travelers, short-term and circular migrants from the territory. (shrink)

We find meaning and value in our lives by engaging in everyday projects. But, according to a recent argument by Samuel Scheffler, this value doesn’t depend merely on what the projects are about. In many cases, it depends also on the future generations that will replace us. By imagining the imminent extinction of humanity soon after our own deaths, we can recognize both that much of our current valuing depends on a background confidence in the ongoing survival of humanity and (...) that the survival and flourishing of those future generations matters to us. After presenting Scheffler’s argument, I will explore two twentieth century precursors—Hans Morgenthau and Simone de Beauvoir—before returning to Scheffler to see that his argument can not only show us why future generations matter, but it can also give us hope for immortality and a blueprint for embracing a changing future. (shrink)

In the Philippines, the Marikina Sports Center, established in 1969 (Tugano, 2019, p. 249), stands as an example of an aging facility that no longer fully serves the needs of the modern community. Built over five decades ago, it was designed for a much smaller population and under very different social conditions. The population of Marikina grew by approximately 1027.32% from 40,455 in the 1960s to 456,059 in 2020 (Marikina City Planning Office, 2023). Today, it struggles to provide the level (...) of service and accessibility required by a growing and diverse society, as evidenced by a lack of universal design just by simply visiting the center. Moreover, its aging infrastructure is a cause for concern (Tugano, 2019, p. 251). Marikina City’s mission to become a model for local governance—focused on providing participative, inclusive, and high-quality public services—underscores the urgent need to upgrade the sports center. The city is committed to addressing both the practical and strategic needs of its institutions, environs, and constituents, but the current state of the sports center does not entirely reflect these aspirations. Furthermore, Marikina’s objective of fostering a "healthier, livelier, and community-centered citizenry" (Marikina City Planning Office, 2018, p. 43) is hindered by the outdated infrastructure of the sports center. One of the ways that the city envisions encouraging a healthy lifestyle is by promoting the use of the Marikina Sports Center for local events. The center boasts numerous amenities, yet, despite these offerings, the facilities require substantial updates to cater to a wide and diverse set of users (Reyes, 2023). (shrink)

Abstract: The paper depicts the blueprint of an electronic wise indicating system for demonstrating learning French to understudies to overcome the inconveniences they go up against. The fundamental idea of this structure is a proficient introduction into learning French. The system shows the purpose of learning French and coordinates thusly made issues for the understudies to clarify. The system is logically balanced at run time to the understudy’s individual progress. The system gives unequivocal help to adaptable presentation to learners.