Microgames are rapidly gaining increased attention and are highly being considered because of the technology-based media that enhances students’ learning interests and educational activities. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new construct through confirmatory factor analysis, to comprehensively understand the factors influencing the use of microgames in mathematics class. Participants of the study were the secondary school teachers in West Java, Indonesia, which had a 1-year training in microgames development. We applied a quantitative approach to collect the data via (...) online questionnaires through google form. Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS software was used to analyze the proposed model. Empirical results confirmed the perceived easy to use and subjective norm influence relationship with teachers’ microgame usage behaviors and intentions. In this condition, SN was found to have the initial significant influence on behavioral intention, as attitude, BI, and facilitating conditions also correlated with the actual use of microgames. Furthermore, the largest influential factor was BI, with the results subsequently showing that TPACK had no significant influence on the actual use of microgames. This report is expected to help bridge the gap across several previous studies, as well as contribute to the explanation and prediction of the factors influencing the teachers’ mathematical utilization of the study’s program. Besides this, it also helps to increase the use of microgames in teaching and learning activities. (shrink)

The ethnic-Chinese business is often characterised by a central role of the family both in the structure of the firm and in its corporate culture. This has political, social as well as cultural reasons. The centrality of the family in business has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it enables a fast, efficient and flexible process of decision-making. On the other hand, it often contradicts modern business professionalism. The younger generation of ethnic-Chinese business actors tend to preserve crucial (...) elements of such family-centred characteristics. Yet, globalisation drives them to transform their business style, lessening its dependence on family resources and adopting more-modern professional ideas. Changes in current political situation, religious-cultural trend, demography and education contribute to making possible the transformation. (shrink)

We examine the role of religiosity on the financing activities in both Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesian provinces by using five different measures of religiosity: number of Islamic schools, hajj application, number of Islamic seminary schools, number of Mosques, and number of certified halal products. Based on regression analysis, the results show that both Islamic and conventional banks provide more financing in religious provinces. Religiosity also helps in reducing the volume of non-performing financing. Our the results are still qualitatively (...) valid after taking into account endogeneity issue that emanates from omitted variables (i.e., unobservable beliefs, ideas, and attitudes), and possible reverse causality between religiosity and the total amount of financing at the province level. (shrink)

Abstrak: Artikel ini menguraikan penggunaan konsep teologis “Trinitas sosial” oleh empat teolog yang secara khusus menyoroti isu-isu ekonomi. Secara umum para teolog itu menyatakan bahwa teologi ekonomik yang berdasarkan “Trinitas sosial” menolak model ekonomi individualistik yang memertaruhkan komunitas. Mereka memberi gambaran yang berbeda-beda tentang model ekonomi yang layak ditolak itu. Meeks dan Boff melihat praktik ekonomi pasar yang berlaku saat ini maupun praktik ekonomi sosialis yang pernah dijalankan di negara-negara komunis sebagai wujud-wujud dari model ekonomi semacam itu. Novak menolak praktik (...) sosialisme dan memandang kapitalisme yang bersifat demokratik sebagai model ekonomi yang trinitaris. Higginson menilai model ekonomi yang individualistik itu tersirat dalam “etos Protestan”nya Max Weber dan seringkali tercermin dalam cara pengelolaan perusahaan. Saya melanjutkan teologi ekonomik yang berdasarkan Trinitas Sosial itu dengan menjadikan secara spesifik keluarga sebagai wujud konkret komunitas. Saya berpendapat bahwa “Trinitas keluarga” dapat menjadi dasar bagi pengembangan teologi ekonomik yang responsif terhadap konteks ekonomi Indonesia dan Asia pada umumnya, di mana keluarga menjadi bukan hanya model hubungan sosial tetapi juga acuan etis. Kata-kata Kunci: Trinitas sosial, teologi ekonomik, ekonomi kekeluargaan. Abstract: This article explores the use of the theological concept of “social Trinity” by four theologians focusing on economic issues. In general, those theologians suggest that the concept of “social Trinity” implies an economic theology resisting the individualistic economy model, which puts the community at stake. They disagree on which economic system exactly they consider worth rejecting. For Meeks and Boff, that economic model includes both the existing market economy and socialism as had been practiced in the communist countries. Novak rejects the economic system of socialist countries whilst insisting that “democratic capitalism” is consistently Trinitarian. Higginson argues that the individualistic economy is implied in Weber’s “Protestant ethic” and often reflected in the management of corporations. Subscribing to the economic theology based on “social Trinity,” and, at the same time, responding specifically to the characteristics of the Indonesian context, I suggest the family as a concrete form of community. I argue that “familial Trinity” would serve as a foundation for developing an economic theology in response to the situation of Indonesian economy and Asian economy in general, where the family is not only a model of social relations, but also an ethical reference. Keywords: Social Trinity, economic theology, familial economy. (shrink)

Criticism of Qur'an hermeneutics method by Averroës, an Islamic philosopher.

The purpose of this research was to know the description of hosters work profesionalism of children day care center at Yogyakarta. The research subjected 8 hosters who had work up to one year. The data was collected by Interview, test of child developmental knowledge, and observation. Hoster work profesionalism was measured from the understanding of child developmental knowledge, ability to apply their knowledge, ethics, and responsibility at worked. The result showed that hosters can understand about child developmental knowledge, good enough. (...) Hosters ability to apply their knowledge was good enough eventhough almost all of the hosters just gave care service to children and not maximally in applying their knowledge. Almost all of the hosters had good enough responsibility about all that happened in workplace. Almost all of hosters not too understand about profession ethics, their just use social norms and rules of their workplace. (shrink)

This article focuses on the relevance of religious traditions of self-restraint, particularly Sabbath and Nyepi, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. From an economic perspective, the pandemic interrupts a lifestyle marked by an unceasing process of production and consumption that affects almost all aspects of life. Such a lifestyle, known as ‘productivism’, has been confronted with ‘anti-productivism’ promoted by groups of Marxism-inspired intellectuals and activists. Employing the method of public theology, this study reveals that religious traditions of self-restraint prepare (...) humanity to anticipate interruptions of regularity, such as a pandemic, in a way that is critical of productivism yet distinct from anti-productivism. From a spiritual perspective, the pandemic and religious traditions of self-restraint should be perceived as synergistic appeals to a balanced lifestyle that is socially, economically, and ecologically harmonious. (shrink)

Early on in Specters of Marx, the first sentence in Exordium reads: ‘Someone, you or me, comes forward and says: I would like to learn to live finally’. In the last paragraph of the last chapter, Derrida gives the injunction: ‘If he loves justice at least, the “scholar” of the future, the “intellectual” of tomorrow should learn it and from the ghost’. The ghost is the gift Derrida leaves us, yet, what can ghosts teach us about justice and how may (...) we (dare we) learn from them? Derrida invokes Levinas's name for the only time in Specters of Marx, with the line ‘The relation to others – that is to say, justice, writes Levinas’. From ‘Violence and Metaphysics’ to ‘At This Very Moment in This Work Here I Am’, the spectral relation between Derrida and Levinas already performs spectral justice. How do we say ‘J'accepte’ to spectral justice – justice that we cannot rightly possess? The figure and logic of the ghost serve not merely rhetorical purposes but, in its non-presence and presence, the ghost becomes the trace of the justice that we can neither own nor disown, but need to learn to live with, even if, in politics and in life, the fear of ghosts remains. (shrink)

BackgroundEmergency separation of conjoined twins is performed when one twin is already dead or dying and threatens the survival of the other. The particular decision to perform an emergency separation of conjoined twins provides an ethical dilemma that needs special attention. Adding to the complexity of surgical and postsurgical management in emergency separation, ethical and sociocultural aspects further complicate decision-making.Case presentationFrom 1987 to 2022, 18 conjoined twin separations were performed in our centre. This paper describes three conjoined twin emergency separations. (...) In the first case of thoracoomphalopagus babies at nine days of age, one baby was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis with frequent desaturation and seizures, and the other baby was healthy. Emergency separation was performed on the twelfth day of age; unfortunately, neither baby survived the surgery. In the second case, emergency separation was performed on the 110th day of life due to sepsis in one baby. The nonseptic twin passed away six hours after surgery, while the septic twin died 12 days after surgery due to wound dehiscence and abdominal sepsis. The third case was of an omphalopagus conjoined twin with a parasitic twin. The healthy baby was deemed nonviable but found to be healthy upon birth. Immediate emergency separation was performed at 2 h of age. The living baby survived the surgery but passed away two months later.ConclusionsWhen separation is deemed necessary to save one twin, it becomes difficult to apply standard ethical medical reasoning. The decision to separate results in most cases in very high-risk surgeries with poor outcomes during surgery and postsurgery. Compounded by the complexity of the case, sociocultural and religious aspects further add to the dynamics of decision-making. A multidisciplinary team must work together with a health ethics committee and navigate through this ethical conundrum with the patient and family at its decision-making centre to decide on the best plan of care. (shrink)

Interactive Whiteboard has recently been used to replace the TWB, with many of its features being observed to help teachers in educational activities. This is based on effectively and efficiently increasing the teacher-student interaction. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the determinants of Behavioral Intention and the use of interactive whiteboards by K-12 teachers, in remote and rural Chinese areas. The Modified-Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model was used in this analysis, as a learning medium to (...) deliver the subject matter to students. The sample and population were also the teachers in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, where 171 voluntary respondents participated in this study. Furthermore, the obtained data were processed using a Structural Equation Model approach, through the Smart-PLS software. The results showed that Habit and Hedonic Motivation had a significant influence on the Behavioral Intention of teachers, toward the utilization of IWB in remote and rural areas. Besides this, Facilitating Conditions and BI also had a significant positive effect on Usage Behavior. Based on these results, important information was provided to school principals, local governments, and teachers for education quality improvement, regarding the patterns of increasing IWB utilization in remote and rural areas. (shrink)

Suffering is often experienced by those who obey God, while happiness is experienced by those who do not know God. This study aims to re-examine theodicy about disasters and calamities and tries to provide alternative thoughts regarding the relationship between God, accidents and humans, based on the story of Job. This research methodology is a qualitative approach through library research, by reading books and journals and investigating related books. Hermeneutic principles are also used to understand the meaning of the signs (...) and symbols in the text. The results of this study indicate that the concept of anthropodicy stands as a complement to the idea of theodicy, which can help humans - especially believers - to understand the meaning of suffering and their vocation in a world full of uncertainty while still having faith in God, who is sovereign over all.Contribution: This article contributes to providing an understanding of anthropodicy from Job’s perspective, so that humans see suffering as God’s sovereignty and as something that God allows in order to see God’s omnipotence. (shrink)

There are three main types of atonement, namely the ‘classic’ type where Christ is a Victor, the ‘Latin’ type where Christ is satisfaction and the type of ‘humanism’ in which God is Love. These three types contain language of violence. However, the most striking language of violence is the ‘Latin’ type, where God is seen as the Angry one, who is thirsty for blood and asking to be satisfied. The sacrifice of redemption is seen as the idea of ‘bribe to (...) God’. Some theologians reject this idea and look for other alternatives. This article aims to find other alternatives while maintaining the idea of redemption sacrifice. The author uses a Jewish perspective in reading the Bible. From the entire Bible metanarrative, the authors construct the theory of atonement by focusing on the idea of Besorat Hageulah, the Gospel of redemption. On the cross is the sacrifice for redemption that expresses God’s justice and love. The bloodshed on the cross is not to satisfy God, who is angry, but as a sign of God’s love for humans according to the demands of justice ‘life shall go for life’ (KJV, Dt 19:21).Contribution: This article is interdisciplinary in the sense that it touches on issues such as redemption, mercy and peace. In this article, the author has shown how redemption brings peace and love. The implication is in the life of the nation and state as God’s creatures. (shrink)

Many people know Jesus Christ and believe he is the Savior, even though that person calls the word God. But many also today claim that the word 'Allah' only has a certain group and is a proper name. This situation created the birth of two groups that were pros and cons in using the word Allah. What is the answer for Christians who keep using the word God? Is it sinful to mention the word Allah? what is the meaning of (...) the word God in the Christian faith? Then how is the history of the word God used? These questions will be answered in the following article. The following article is expected to help believers understand the answers to these problems. (shrink)

Humans know God because God reveals himself. The Bible records two ways that God revealed Himself, namely through general revelation and special revelation. God has established public revelations through the means of the universe, conscience and history, so that through these means humans realize the existence of a divine and authoritative person. However, a theologian named Karl Barth rejects the existence of a general statement to be able to know God. Therefore through this paper we will explain general revelation and (...) theological evaluation of Karl Barth's views on public revelation. (shrink)

The term race has been applied to humans, so humans began to group themselves among their races, then the emergence of the superiority of the human race against other races is often called racism. Is this really the case of humans, does the Bible agree that humans are divided into racial concepts, how does the Bible state the creation of man against the facts of the human race. Therefore, through this paper will write how God views the reality of the (...) human race. (shrink)

Philosophical thinking exists in every human being. But is it true that every philosophical thought is true? Many believers today still have anti-philosophical characteristics. Even though historical facts show that each era has its own philosophical challenges. The historical part of Christianity has shown that there is a good integration between theology and philosophy, so philosophy is said to be ancilla theologiae. Therefore the article was written to try to help believers in the theological understanding of philosophical principles as ancilla (...) theologiae and to provide forms of implementation of these principles for believers today. (shrink)

The study of eschatology is inseparable from the concept of fulfillment. What will be fulfilled at the end of time? Then who is the person who will fulfill everything at the end of time? Therefore, to give an understanding to believers about the teaching of fullfilment, this paper will explore Biblically and formulate systematically by looking at the views of the theologians who wrote the topic.

The fifth commandment is part of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Bible is the eternal word of God, so this fifth Law has a meaning that must be understood in the infinite dimension. The Bible gives the principle that if the man fails to do one of the commandments in the Law, then he has failed. There are many interpretations of this Law, but it only comes down to practical, ethical, and moral dimensions (...) because it solely focuses on the relevance of the present. The Bible states that the curse of the Law has been redeemed and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. After the resurrection, Jesus said that in the Torah, the Psalms and the Prophets written about Him. Thus Jesus gave a new concept of interpretation in understanding the Law. This principle is called the historical redemptive approach. The Bible states the culmination of completing all of Jesus' redemptive work is the time of the second coming in the realization of the new heaven and earth. Therefore, how to explain the relevance of the fifth Law in the context of eternity. This research focuses on the understanding of the Fifth Law in the eschatological dimension. (shrink)

Salvation is an important part of the Christian faith. In the acronym, TULIP shows the principle that salvation is certain. A sovereign God saves humans. John Calvin has a soteriological concept that focuses on God's sovereignty. Calvin's soteriological thinking is contained in the TULIP acronym formulation of salvation. At present there are problems with the environment, a great deal of environmental degradation has led to a relational disharmony. Such conditions require responses from people who have been saved so that the (...) concept of Cosmic Missiology is an important thing to put forward. Then are there any doctrinal formula implications of the TULIP acronym that can be implemented to realize a motivation for doing a cosmic mission? Through this article, a review will be carried out to see the implications of the five points of Calvinism and their implementation for cosmic missiology. (shrink)

This paper is entitled to a theological study of the meaning of the incarnation of Christ and its implementation for Christian spirituality in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic. The author believes that the problem is due to the spirituality of Christians today. The author observes the fact that Christ's incarnation provides principles of spirituality that can answer this problem. Therefore, through the descriptive analysis method, the author will conduct a theological study of the meaning of the (...) incarnation of Christ, and the results of this study indicate that the problems that occur can be answered through the principle of spirituality which is based on the principle of the incarnation of Christ. The results of this study will be the basis for the implementation of Christian spirituality today. The hope of the writer through this paper can help add insight into the life of Christian spirituality today. (shrink)

Suffering is a part of human life after falling into sin. Jesus Christ gave the principle of life carrying the cross. Therefore believers are not free from suffering. Because suffering cannot be avoided, suffering must be faced by believers. Therefore it is very important to provide insight into suffering in 1 Peter. Therefore through this article can open the understanding of believers to face suffering.

The Lord Jesus before ascending to Heaven did say there would be signs accompanying believers, one of which was that they laid their hands on the sick, and the person was healed. Some groups really claim that every believer can cure a disease, is that right? To answer this question, it is very necessary to discuss Mark 16: 17-18. In this discussion using the Historical Redemptive method (redemptive history). So that through discussion with the History of the Atonement method you (...) can understand the meaning of the text in the context of the History of the Atonement. (shrink)

Tulisan ini berjudul tinjauan teologis perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15 berdasarkan perspektif sejarah penebusan. Tujuan tulisan ini adalah melakukan kajian tentang perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15. Kajian ini dilakukan sebagai pengembangan untuk memahami perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15. Kajian ini juga bertujuan memberikan penjelasan bagaimana penggenapan yang Yesus lakukan terhadap perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15, selain itu kajian ini akan menyoroti realisasi perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15 pada masa orang percaya (...) berada dalam langit dan bumi yang baru. Untuk mendapatkan penjelasan tersebut, maka digunakan pendekatan sejarah penebusan. Pendekatan ini akan mendasarkan pada penyelidikan Alkitab sebagai sumber utama didukung dengan artikel dan literatur yang berkaitan dengan topik yang dibahas. Penulis menyakini bahwa Yesus sebagai penggenap seluruh Hukum Taurat pasti juga menggenapi hukum ini dalam kehidupannya. Penulis memiliki hipotesis bahwa perintah jangan mencuri dalam Keluaran 20: 15 tetap relevan sampai kepada kekekalan namun dengan bentuk dan sifat yang baru. Oleh karena itu kiranya melalui tulisan ini menambah pengetahuan bagaimana memahami relevansi sebuah teks Alkitab tidak hanya pada masa lampau dan masa kini, tetapi sampai kepada masa yang akan datang. (shrink)

In the context of apologetics known as the presupposition approach and evidentialist approach. However, many debates have led to disputes because of the overwhelming evidence that supports each other. Is it true that the defense of faith and the basis of faith always rest on evidence? Through this paper, we will explore a little about Reformed presuppositions as a theological review of the evidentialist approach.

Times have changed, from pre-modern to modern, and now into postmodern times. The postmodern era is also followed by philosophical thinking from postmodernism. These philosophical thoughts have greatly influenced the lives of many people, who have also touched on aspects of the Christian faith. The principles of postmodernism are subjectivism, anti-history, perspective pluralism, and relativity. These principles have a negative influence on the principles of the Christian faith so that postmodernism is one of the challenges in the Christian faith. The (...) challenge is that postmodernism is an objective anti-truth philosophy. So that it affects the lives of believers so that they remain faithful to reveal the final truth of the Christian faith, making Christian faith the only test tool against postmodernism and dismantling the falsity of postmodernism. Therefore this article was written to provide an understanding of postmodernism and its implications for the Christian faith so that many believers can provide anticipation in the postmodern era that is lived today. (shrink)

Based on the views of Hindus in Bali, the application of ornaments in the form of Balinese traditional symbols should follow the rules of the prevailing tradition.The symbols are created to show the cosmology and philosophy based on the teachings of Hinduism as indigenous in Bali and function as a means of a sacred ritual. But in reality the designers in Bali often exploit the symbols by “mutilating” and applying them to undue places, motivated by a desire to create a (...) product or environment characterized by Balinese ethnicity. For example, Acintya relief, Karang Bhoma, Garuda Wisnu and others are applied as façade decorations for shops and banks, or they are created in the form of a statue to decorate crossroads, or used for decoration of the human body in the form of a tattoo and so forth. Seen from a semiotic approach, these actions can damage the structure of the meaning of symbols, because they bring about the interruption of the established relations of the signifier and signified and they form symbol fragments with unclear relations to meaning. Similarly, in today’s designs stamped with such decoration, they appear awkward and meaningless. From such behaviour, that practice creates styles such as pastiche, parody, kitsch, camp and so forth. (shrink)

Adaptation and stress are two main concepts useful for better understanding the phases of illness and health-related human behavior. The two faces of adaptation, adaptation as a process and adaptation as a product, have raised the question of how long the adaptation process will take in cancer trajectories. The care setting transition from clinical-based into home-based cancer care has stressed the role of family caregivers (FCG) in cancer management. This study examines how types of demanded healthcare information affect the FCG’s (...) role in catalyzing the adaptation of female cancer patients. The mindsponge theory was used in conceptual development and results interpretation. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics was used for statistical analysis on a dataset of 48 spouses (husbands) and 12 other family members in five congested communities of Surabaya, Indonesia. Results showed that among the six types of demanded healthcare information, FCGs with a higher tendency to demand cancer-specific information are more likely to need support in catalyzing the adaptation of female cancer patients. Meanwhile, FCGs with a higher demand for information on alternative therapies are less likely to need support in catalyzing cancer adaptation. Other types of healthcare information have ambiguous effects on the need for support in cancer adaptation assistance. This study reveals that the demanded cancer-specific information, e.g., cancer’s prognosis or likely outcome, must be prioritized to assist FCG’s role in catalyzing adaptation among female cancer patients. Cancer prognosis and outcomes reflect the future of cancer care results. (shrink)

Fear of cancer is mostly related to cancer recurrence, metastasis, additional cancer, and diagnostic tests. Its legacy as a lethal disease has raised fear of approaching death. Currently, cancer’s total suffering and the worsening phenomena have raised fear, especially among female patients. Family caregivers (FCGs) who are responsible for the day-to-day cancer care at home need to help the patients deal with this fear frequently. Due to the limited care competencies, they need supportive care from healthcare professionals in cancer fear (...) management. This study aims to assess how types of demanded healthcare information affect the FCG’s role in reducing the fear of female cancer patients. The mindsponge theory was used in conceptual development and interpretation. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics were used for statistical analysis on a dataset of 48 spouses (husbands) and 12 other family members in five congested communities of Surabaya, Indonesia. Results showed that among the six types of healthcare information, FCGs with higher demand on cancer-specific information and information on cancer physical needs were more likely to need support in reducing the fear of female cancer patients. Meanwhile, FCGs with a higher demand for information on support services were less likely to need support to reduce cancer patients’ fear. Other types of healthcare information have ambiguous effects on the need for support in reducing cancer-induced fear. This study reveals that the demanded cancer-specific information, e.g., cancer’s prognosis or likely outcome and information on cancer physical needs, need to be met in priority to assist FCG’s role in cancer fear management. (shrink)

This study examined the mediation and moderation models of the relationship between Islamic work ethics (IWE), thriving at work, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and leader humility. A total of 418 employees from two different sample groups (Islamic banks and educational institutions) in Indonesia were included. A multiple regression hierarchy with PROCESS was used to test the hypotheses. We found a positive influence of IWE and leader humility on thriving and OCB and thriving at work on OCB. Thriving was found to (...) mediate the relationship between IWE and OCB, and the leader humility moderates these relationships. Thriving at work and OCB are dramatically under-represented in Islamic work ethics research, and this study attempts to fill this void. Furthermore, this study reveals the interactive role of leader humility and IWE in enhancing OCB preference and the mediating role of thriving at work in the IWE − OCB relationship. (shrink)

A new theory of how the brain constructs emotions that could revolutionize psychology, health care, law enforcement, and our understanding of the human mind Emotions feel automatic, like uncontrollable reactions to things we think and experience. Scientists have long supported this assumption by claiming that emotions are hardwired in the body or the brain. Today, however, the science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology--and (...) this paradigm shift has far-reaching implications for us all. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose theory of emotion is driving a deeper understanding of the mind and brain, and shedding new light on what it means to be human. Her research overturns the widely held belief that emotions are housed in different parts of the brain and are universally expressed and recognized. Instead, she has shown that emotion is constructed in the moment, by core systems that interact across the whole brain, aided by a lifetime of learning. This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotional life than you ever thought. Its repercussions are already shaking the foundations not only of psychology but also of medicine, the legal system, child-rearing, meditation, and even airport security. Why do emotions feel automatic? Does rational thought really control emotion? How does emotion affect disease? How can you make your children more emotionally intelligent? How Emotions Are Made answers these questions and many more, revealing the latest research and intriguing practical applications of the new science of emotion, mind, and brain. (shrink)

What happens when the meaning of life based on a divine revelation no longer makes sense? Does the quest for transcendence end in the pursuit of material success and self-absorption? Luc Ferry argues that modernity and the emergence of secular humanism in Europe since the eighteenth century have not killed the search for meaning and the sacred, or even the idea of God, but rather have transformed both through a dual process: the humanization of the divine and the divinization of (...) the human. Ferry sees evidence for the first of these in the Catholic Church's attempts to counter the growing rejection of dogmatism and to translate the religious tradition into contemporary language. The second he traces to the birth of modern love and humanitarianism, both of which demand a concern for others and even self-sacrifice in defense of values that transcend life itself. Ferry concludes with a powerful statement in favor of what he calls "transcendental humanism"--a concept that for the first time in human history gives us access to a genuine spirituality rooted in human beings instead of the divine. (shrink)

I explore the interrelations between the ontological and aesthetic issues raised by ready-mades such as Duchamp’s Fountain. I outline a hylomorphic metaphysics which has two central features. First, hylomorphically complex objects have matter to which they are not identical. Secondly, when such objects are artefacts (including artworks), it is essential to them that they are the products of creative work on their matter. Against this background, I suggest that ready-mades are of aesthetic interest because they pose a dilemma. Is there (...) really an object, a sculpture, that is distinct from its matter, a urinal, which object is created merely by the artist’s choice of the urinal? Or are we dealing with a case in which an artist passes off something, a urinal, as if it were a sculpture, even though it is not one? (shrink)

Made-Up Minds addresses fundamental questions of learning and concept invention by means of an innovative computer program that is based on the cognitive ...

Existence questions have been topics for heated debates in metaphysics, but this book argues that they can often be answered easily, by trivial inferences from uncontroversial premises. This 'easy' approach to ontology leads to realism about disputed entities, and to the view that metaphysical disputes about existence questions are misguided.

This is the first book dealing with the reception of Soren Kierkegaard in Japan. It may seem strange that the Danish philosopher, theologian and writer, who is renowned in the western world as individualist and the existentialist, has been read and studied in Japan since the turn of century. The aim of this study is to explain why the Japanese came to read Kierkegaard, how several religious and non-religious lines of reception developed, and why he is still of current interest (...) in postmodern Japan. (shrink)

He has an astonishing range, and in this book he expands it still further. More than a mere introduction, Made with Words offers a coherent and well-argued picture of most of the main components of Hobbes's wide-ranging philosophy.

The Problem of Overlappers is a puzzle about what makes it the case, and how we can know, that we have the parts we intuitively think we have. In this paper, I develop and motivate an overlooked solution to this puzzle. According to what I call the self-making view it is within our power to decide what we refer to with the personal pronoun ‘I’, so the truth of most of our beliefs about our parts is ensured by the very (...) mechanism of self-reference. Other than providing an elegant solution to the Problem of Overlappers, the view can be motivated on independent grounds. It also has wide-ranging consequences for how we should be thinking about persons. Among other things, it can help undermine an influential line of argument against the permissibility of elective amputation. After a detailed discussion and defence of the self-making view, I consider some objections to it. I conclude that none of these objections is persuasive and we should at the very least take seriously the idea that we are to some extent self-made. (shrink)