Transcending the various formal concepts of life, this captivating book offers a unique overview of life's history, essences, and future. "A masterpiece of scientific writing. You will cherish "What Is Life?" because it is so rich in poetry and science in the service of profound philosophical questions".--Mitchell Thomashow, "Orion". 9 photos. 11 line illustrations.

What moral status should we attribute to stem cells? To answer this neglected question, we look in this essay at the properties of embryos and other entities that could develop into beings who have uncontested moral status, namely, adult humans. Our analysis indicates that those who grant moral status to embryos should also grant it to stem cells. This has implications that verge on absurdity, since even if we were to try to do what we can to protect these entities, (...) we would face the dilemma that the development of any embryo requires the destruction of other potential beings. We respond to objections, including the claim that the destruction of human embryos is wrong not because of the potential of human embryos but because human embryos are actual beings with a rational nature. We conclude that the more plausible position is to deny moral status to embryos, and thus to stem cells as well. (shrink)

Traditional just war doctrine holds that political leaders are morally responsible for the decision to initiate war, while individual soldiers should be judged solely by their conduct in war. According to this view, soldiers fighting in an unjust war of aggression and soldiers on the opposing side seeking to defend their country are morally equal as long as each obeys the rules of combat. Revisionist scholars, however, maintain that soldiers who fight for an unjust cause bear at least some responsibility (...) for advancing an immoral end, even if they otherwise fight ethically. This article examines the attitudes of the American public regarding the moral equality of combatants. Utilizing an original survey experiment, we find that the public's moral reasoning is generally more consistent with that of the revisionists than with traditional just war theory. Americans in our study judged soldiers who participate in unjust wars as less ethical than soldiers in just wars, even when their battlefield conduct is identical, and a large proportion supported harsh punishments for soldiers simply for participating in unjust wars. We also find, however, that much of the American public is willing to extend the moral license of just cause significantly further than revisionist scholars advocate: half of the Americans in our survey were willing to allow an unambiguous war crime—a massacre of innocent women and children—to go unpunished when the act was committed by soldiers fighting for a just cause. Our findings suggest that incorporation of revisionist principles into the laws of war would reinforce dangerous moral intuitions encouraging the killing of civilians. (shrink)

The position of the state regarding the Church, the peculiarities of the established state-church relations greatly influence the nature of the development of church institutions and the level of religiousness of the population, as well as ensuring the right of citizens to freedom of conscience. Consequently, the development of a legal democratic Ukraine is impossible without constant attention of state bodies to the issue of guaranteeing freedom of conscience and religion, the state of which is currently dependent on their constitutional (...) and legal regulation and the existence of a holistic mechanism for guaranteeing the said freedom, as well as from the way of monitoring and responding to violations of the law. (shrink)

In this essay, I propose five principles to make U.S. nuclear deterrence policy more just and effective in the future: sever the link between the mass killing of innocent civilians and nuclear deterrence by focusing targeting on adversaries’ military power and senior political leadership, not their population; never use or plan to use a nuclear weapon against any target that could be destroyed or neutralized by conventional weapons; reject “belligerent reprisal” threats against civilians even in response to enemy attacks on (...) one's own or allied civilians; replace nuclear “calculated ambiguity” threats against biological or cyberattacks with “deterrence by denial” strategies; and work in good faith toward eventual nuclear disarmament. (shrink)

In the pursuit of knowledge, Dorion Sagan argues in this dazzlingly eclectic, rigorously crafted, and deliciously witty collection of essays, scientific authoritarianism and philosophical obscurantism are equally formidable obstacles to discovery. As science has become more specialized and more costly, its questing spirit has been constrained by dogma. And philosophy, perhaps the discipline best placed to question orthodoxy, has retreated behind dense theoretical language and arcane topics of learning. Guided by a capacious, democratic view of science inspired by the (...) examples set by his late parents—Carl Sagan, who popularized the study of the cosmos, and Lynn Margulis, an evolutionary biologist who repeatedly clashed with the scientific establishment—Sagan draws on classical and contemporary philosophy to intervene provocatively in often-charged debates on thermodynamics, linear and nonlinear time, purpose, ethics, the links between language and psychedelic drugs, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the occupation of the human body by microbial others. Informed by a countercultural sensibility, a deep engagement with speculative thought, and a hardheaded scientific skepticism, he advances controversial positions on such seemingly sacrosanct subjects as evolution and entropy. At the same time, he creatively considers a wide range of thinkers, from Socrates to Bataille and Descartes to von Uexküll, to reflect on sex, biopolitics, and the free will of Kermit the Frog. Refreshingly nonconformist and polemically incisive, _Cosmic Apprentice_ challenges readers to reject both dogma and cliché and instead recover the intellectual spirit of adventure that should—and can once again—animate both science and philosophy. (shrink)

Ukrainian and Yugoslav Orthodox clergy may often be able to meet at various international religious forums and celebrations held in Ukraine, Yugoslavia, and other countries. Here communication was established between them, which complemented the general tradition of international cooperation of the Ukrainian and Yugoslav public.In recent years, there has been a revival in various forms of relations between the Orthodox Churches of the Slavic countries. This actualizes the study of the history of these relations, the recognition in it of the (...) positive that could carry out a diverse form of night inter-church visitors, the search for ways to unite world Orthodoxy. The study of the directions of inter-church relations indicated by us is necessary because they have in fact fallen out of the field of view of domestic historical science. Only a few works of Ukrainian scientists indirectly address this issue.Thus, OV Pavlyuchenko considers the relations of the Serbian Metropolitan Mykhailo with the Orthodox circles of Ukraine. However, chronologically, his research covers the period only at the end of the XIX century. Thoroughly studying the history of all Orthodox churches, ON Sagan in his study also invites to the interaction of the Ukrainian and Yugoslav Orthodox communities. But, like the previous researcher, ON Sagan mainly deals with issues that took place in the nineteenth century. Various aspects of the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church are also presented in the services of domestic and foreign researchers: EM Chaltseva, KE Skurat, M.N. Bessonova, R. Roberson and others. Their work helps to reveal the influence of other facts from the history of the Serbian PC on the international activities of the Yugoslav Orthodox clergy.Due to the limited research work, our conclusions are based on extensive archival material, which is still little applied to the scientific department. The analysis of archival documents allowed us to trace the interest and needs the sphere of cooperation of the Ukrainian and Yugoslav peoples, who represent a significant part of the Orthodox world, which in general forms our new study. (shrink)

Among all religious studies that were actively researched during the Independence of Ukraine, intelligence in the field of Orthodoxy was and remains one of the most common. This is not surprising, because this denomination - both in historical retrospect and nowadays - remains dominant in Ukraine, which significantly expands the subject of research that is conducted not only in religious, but also in historical, political and other fields. Therefore, the volume of literature that deals with historical, theological, economic, political, social, (...) psychological, cultural and other aspects of the functioning of Orthodoxy as a religious trend is extremely large and has dozens of monographs and hundreds of articles. Unfortunately, there are practically no asylum works on historiography on Orthodox-related publications in independent Ukraine. The only exception is the work of V. Ulyanovsky, which was published in the early 1990s, and is now somewhat outdated. (shrink)

The study of Orthodox Yugoslavs at the Kyiv Theological Academy during 1900-1918 was a continuation of the tradition laid down in previous centuries by the priority acquisition of higher education in the southern territories of the Russian territory.. Not only the Yugoslavs studied at the Kiev Academy, but also the Bulgarians, Romanians, Syrians, Czechs, Greeks and other Orthodox foreigners. However, when choosing an educational institution, these students tried to choose the ones that were on the territory of Ukraine. Officially, this (...) position was explained by warm climates that more closely resembled their native nature. However, the positive comments that spread abroad about South Russian educational institutions were also important. That is why the Yugoslavs studied mainly in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa educational institutions. At the beginning of the twentieth century. the teaching of foreigners on the territory of the Russian Empire The Russian Orthodox Church and government officials continued to attach great importance. Authorities have increased control over all areas of study of foreign students. Special attention was paid to the Orthodox Slavs. (shrink)

The current state of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, as well as all of Universal Orthodoxy, is characterized by the presence of significant problems of a systemic nature, the failure of which or their neglect leads to a further deepening of the crisis of the denomination. The emergence of these problems is of historical nature because they have arisen over a considerable period of time and have been linked to the political, economic and spiritual features of the development of Orthodoxy in one (...) or another area of its spread. (shrink)

One of the important forms of cooperation between peoples is inter-church relations. The latter develop in different directions and forms. Depending on geopolitical circumstances, religious contacts have one or another orientation, saturation, content and so on. However, despite all the factors, religious cooperation, as a rule, promotes mutual spiritual enrichment, affirmation of the authority of the denominations that form important spheres of social life.

The problem of formation and recognition of the Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church has not been considered by clerics of the Churches or believers only as ecclesiastics since its actualization in Ukraine at the beginning of the twentieth century. The objectivity of such an assessment of the question of propriety is borne out by the experience of becoming autocephalous of other local Orthodox Churches - none of them being able to choose their autocephaly only through the implementation of a particular church (...) program. The reason for this state of affairs is the fact that the procedure for obtaining administrative independence of a particular church unit is not written out in Orthodox canons. (shrink)

Ґрунтовно використовуючи між собою спільні відносини України та Югославії у другій половині ХХ ст., Важливо розібратися в специфіці розвитку співпраці в тих царинах, не проаналізувавши внутрішньополітичних питань, які, безумовно, є державними, існують для функціонування рекреаційного життя в обох питаннях. Запропоновані великі доробкові вітчизняні та закордонні співробітники, провідно-конфесійні стосунки в Україні, фактично не існують з усієї ситуації, що існують, і вони існували в Югославії. У конфіденційній формі розглядаються проблеми, що стосуються рівня свободи віросповідання, правового розгляду церкви, а також відомих організацій, які (...) існують у багатьох інших питаннях. (shrink)

The formation of the chaplaincy movement in the context of the formation of independent Ukraine (after 1991) required the solution of a number of issues, primarily of a conceptual nature. The initiators of the restoration of chaplaincy faced the underestimation of the chaplaincy factor, the risks of transferring interfaith disputes to the military environment. In fact, it was a question of finding their own model of chaplaincy service, which would provide an optimal model for organizing the work of chaplains. The (...) authors propose to divide the development of the chaplaincy movement in independent Ukraine into three stages, which differ not only chronologically but also in their characteristics. The first stage (1991-2005) was characterized by a rethinking of the role and place of religion in the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The idea of a chaplaincy service was revived primarily on the basis of the volunteer movement. Volunteers also encouraged churches to form appropriate structures that would be responsible for chaplaincy work. At this stage, the driving force behind the formation of the chaplaincy movement was the unstable informal ties between church and security forces in Ukraine. With the advent of the first legal acts that regulated the search for optimal models for creating the chaplaincy institute, the second stage of development of the chaplaincy movement in Ukraine began. It lasted from 2006 to 2013. During this time, regulations were developed and implemented that institutionalized the relationship between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the country's largest churches and religious organizations. The third stage began with the beginning of the Russian Federation's attack on Ukraine in 2014 and continues to this day. The annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine created the need to sharply increase the number of chaplains and to legalize them in military institutions. Already in 2015-2016, the formation of the state regulatory framework of the chaplaincy institute began and staff positions of chaplains in military units were introduced. On the other hand, there has also been a qualitative growth in the theoretical and practical training of chaplains and their material support. These processes show that the establishment of the institute of military chaplaincy in Ukraine has actually taken place. In each period, the authors highlight the problematic issues that government agencies and religious organizations addressed in organizing the chaplaincy movement. Particular attention was paid to the attempts of activists to form their own model of chaplaincy ministry and the problematic issues of improving the quality of chaplains' training. In particular, it was pointed out that the best way for Ukraine is to organize separate chaplaincy faculties in the country's higher educational institutions to train specialists at the level of world standards. (shrink)

Summary. The article deals with the close link between the diminishing influence of the Moscow Patriarchate on social and political processes in Ukraine and the restoration of the Ukrainian cultural and civilizational space. Namely, the gradual deprivation of Orthodox believers of the post-imperial syndrome, including attitudes, perceptions, behavioral models, etc., associated with the stay of Ukrainians in the foreign-language and other people's mentality and culture of the empire. It is noted that the receipt of the Tomos on recognition of autocephaly (...) and the constitution of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by Orthodox believers of Ukraine has a positive impact not only on the development of the OCU itself, but also the level of patriotism, restoration and development of the Ukrainian-speaking environment, archetypal traditions, rituals, behavior models, etc. The conclusion is about the religious aspect of promoting Ukrainian development from the Asian to the European cultural and civilizational model. (shrink)

An analysis of the European system of values in relation to power relations and confessions / churches allows us to distinguish several basic approaches.

In interpreting the concept of ethnoconfessional specificity of culture, we first of all mean that this is a special form of culture of ethnically related groups of people who have their own special, religiously decorated lifestyle and ethnic identity of which is denominational oriented. This ethno-confessional community acquires, in certain socio-historical conditions, the function of a ethnic representative.

We provide some statistics about the Orthodox churches of the world. These data are not final - the quantitative characteristics and legal subordination of some church formations are constantly changing, but in general this will help form a general idea of Orthodoxy in the world and trends in its development.

Despite being far higher than, for example, Christianity, the claims of cosmopolitanism and universality, the desire to disassociate from national factors, Islam is still fully embedded in the conventional system of ethno-confessional syncretism, which, without disclosing in detail processes can be reduced to the following main components.

On April 22, 1998, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the publication of Arsen Rychinsky's "Problems of Ukrainian Religious Consciousness" in Kremenets, the First Rychinsky reading was held. The organizers of the conference were: Ukrainian Association of Religious Studies, Ternopil Medical Academy named after them. I.Gorbachevsky, Department of Religious Studies at the Institute of Philosophy named after G.S. Skovoroda, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kremenets Medical College.

In the Ukrainian scientific literature, theology and journalism, the concepts of "Kievan Christianity", "Kyiv-Christian tradition of Volodymyr's baptism", "Ukrainian Orthodoxy", "Churches of the Kiev Tradition "," Kiev Churches "," branches of the Kiev Church "," heirs of Vladimir baptism ", etc. However, analyzing the arguments in the disclosure of these concepts by different authors, we are confronted with the traditional problem of Ukrainian science - a variety of interpretations, engagement, and politicization of approaches. And in our case there is also (...) a confessional approach, which many researchers can not always avoid. (shrink)

I present a controversy surrounding the cardinal Christoph Schönborn's op-ed article in New York Times, titled "Finding Design in Nature". In his paper, Schön-born challenges the claim that pope John Paul II accepted neodarwinian evolution as a possible method of God's creation of life forms and, especially, human beings. Moreover, cardinal says that neodarwinism contradicts Christian doctrine of creation. In Schönborn's view, neodarwinism excludes the possibility that there is a real design in nature and this is contradictory to the Catholic (...) Church's stand that this design could be and is recognizable by human reason. I argue, just like cardinal Schönborn, that neodarwinism actually is incompatible with the Christian doctrine of creation. I find also that his views, as well as some of the recent utterances of pope Benedict XVI, echoes the claims of intelligent design theory's proponents, who are skeptical of neodarwinism's validity and argue that they formulated scientific methods of detection of design in nature. Therefore, one can have a valid suspicion that these two leading hierarchs of Catholic Church attempt, though not explicitly, to embrace intelligent design theory as an appropriate view of origins for Christians in contrast with the currently dominating scientific view of biological evolution. (shrink)

METHODOLOGICAL NATURALISM —A NECESSARY CONDITION OF SCIENCE? S u m m a r y Due to the success of Darwinian theory of evolution, with its methodological presuppositions, modern science is dominated by the principle of methodological naturalism, according to which only explanations invoking natural causes are acceptable in science. Supernatural or—in a broader sense—non-natural explanations, such as creationism or so-called intelligent design theory, are regarded as unscientific. The article analyzes the following questions: 1) Is it possible—contrary to methodological naturalism—to detect (...) scientifically the marks of the activity of intelligent beings, both natural and supernatural, in bio-logical and cosmic processes and structures? 2) What are the implications of methodological naturalism for science defined realistically, that is understood as a search for truth about the world of nature? 3) If one accepts that the inner-scientific per-missibility of concepts contradicting the principle of methodological naturalism is justified, would it be tantamount to the absolute exclusion of methodological naturalism as a principle directing the scientific inquiry? (shrink)

Before talking about national science as a specific phenomenon we find out the essence of science as a phenomenon in general. We note that science is one of the most complex phenomena of social life. Complex understanding of it complicates the fact that science is structurally extremely complex, polyfunctional, historically variable, with many of its faces included in this or that sphere of social life. It therefore appears as an extremely diverse social phenomenon. This raises some difficulties in developing a (...) general definition of it. As G. Volkov correctly pointed out, "there is nothing simpler than giving a definition to any phenomenon, when the whole thing is only in the formulation, and there is nothing more complicated than when it comes to the concentration in the concentrated form of the very essence of the object under study". (shrink)

After a long period of apology for the new "symphony" of the Church and the Soviet authorities since the mid-1960s. Ukraine has begun to understand the latest trends in Orthodoxy. At the same time, a current emerged in world culture, which was later dubbed the postmodern. Amorphous at first, a phenomenon that manifested itself more quickly in literature and the visual arts, for several decades, has left its mark on other spheres of human life, including and religious, including Orthodoxy.

The violent events of the revolutionary 1917 rocked the church life in Ukraine. Church movement began to become quite controversial in its content of national-political character. In the new political conditions, not only the clergy but also secular authorities, public organizations and private individuals took an active part in discussing the problems of church life, which politicized in some way Orthodoxy. The Civil War of 1918-1920 did all the efforts of church activists and clergy dependent on the state of affairs (...) - the activity of many church and church organizations ceased or, on the contrary, restored under the rule of certain political forces. It was only from the beginning of 1921 that we could speak of more clearly defined lines of church development. (shrink)

Is it possible and whether it is necessary to consider the events of the inter-church and inter-church Orthodox life of Ukraine through the prism of national security? What are the pain points in relations between the Ukrainian state and the Orthodox Churches? Does the legislation in Ukraine regulate state-church relations in Ukraine and whether it is Ukrainian-centric? These and other issues were the subject of consideration of the Expert Round Table on "Fighting Identities in Orthodoxy of Ukraine after the" Revolution (...) of Dignity ": an aspect of national security", which took place in Kyiv on July 1, 2014. The organizers of the event were the All-Ukrainian Society "Prosvita" named after Taras Shevchenko and the Ukrainian Association of Religious Studies. In the work of the Round Table, in addition to the representatives of the organizers of this conference, experts from the UOC-KP, UOC-MP, the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Brotherhood of Andriy Pervozvannogo of the UOC-KP, scholars and public figures from different cities and regions of the country, and other interested persons took part. (shrink)

In their contributions to the symposium “Just War and Unjust Soldiers,” Michael Walzer, Jeff McMahan, and Robert O. Keohane add greatly to our understanding of how best to study and apply just war doctrine to real-world conflicts. We argue, however, that they underestimate both the degree to which the American public seeks revenge, rather than just reciprocity, and the extent of popular acceptance of violations of noncombatant immunity by soldiers perceived to be fighting for a just cause. We call on (...) empirical political scientists, lawyers, psychologists, and historians to engage with moral philosophers and political theorists in debates about the influence of just war theory and the laws of armed conflict. (shrink)

Gradually, in the working calendars of many religious scholars and philosophers, not only Ukraine, but also the United States, England, Greece, and others. countries "is a permanent record -" the beginning of September - Sevastopol ". Every year, at this time, the audience of the Sevastopol State Technical University hospitably open the door of the participant of the two above-mentioned international conferences. It did not become an exception in 1997, when, on September 9-10 and 11-13, respectively, more than three dozen (...) very interesting reports and announcements were made, among which we will mention the speeches of A. Glushak on the theme "Crimea and the problems of spirituality: historical Excursion "by M. Nilsen -" Religion and Psychology at the Beginning of the New Millennium ", H.Vokala -" Ensophia as New Wisdom for Man ", A. Kolodny -" 2000th Anniversary of the Nativity of Jesus Christ and the problem of the spiritual unity of Christians in Ukraine, "Y. Viga -" How many religions a person could have today, E. Boytsova (Se. (shrink)

First of all, it should be noted that one or another religion can play an extremely different role in the formation of nations or state-building. In addition, the criterion for evaluating its role in these processes depends both on the place where it occurs and on the time at which these processes take place.

The fall of the socialist system in the early 90's of the twentieth century. led to the return of the Orthodox Churches of Europe to the active social and political life of the post-Soviet countries. Therefore, the adoption in August 2000 by the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of the social doctrine became a necessary stage in the development of Russian Orthodoxy, and at the same time marked the beginning of a new time of not only this (...) Church, but the whole Ecumenical Orthodoxy. However, this serious doctrine did not cause any serious attention, except for one or two colloquiums organized by the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. The wave of theological and non-fiction works on the hot topics raised in the Doctrine also did not happen to the experts. (shrink)

The Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451 divided the Ecumenical Orthodoxy into two large parts. The first is Orthodox churches, which include the four ancient patriarchates, along with the younger recognized and unrecognized autocephalous Orthodox Churches, which today are numbered around the world However, in spite of the later division of Orthodoxy with the national churches, they all represent a single church community with a common faith nnyam nature and expression of church life. The basis of the true apostolic faith they (...) accept the first, except the Bible, and even the decision of the seven ecumenical councils. (shrink)

The regional branches of the UAR actively participated in the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ. As part of these activities, the Ternopil Central AUA launched the annual scientific conferences in 1997-2000: in November 1998 - "Christianity and Culture"; in November 1999 - "Christianity and national idea: scientific and theological aspect"; in May 2000 - "Christianity and person". In 1997, together with the regional regional archives and the medical academy named after I.Gorbachevsky, the All-Ukrainian scientific and (...) practical conference "The Idea of ​​the National Church in Ukraine" was held on October 17-18. Researchers from Ternopil, Kyiv, Lviv, Lutsk, Rivne and others took part in the scientific meeting. cities of Ukraine, as well as representatives of denominations. (shrink)

Even after 14 years of independence, Ukrainian society has not lost many of its problems, which are rooted in the legacy of Soviet militant atheism. One of the problems that has caused heated debate in religious and educational settings in almost all years of independence is the perception / non-acceptance of the need for religious education by secular school students. Against the backdrop of equally acute property problems related to the return to religious buildings of the Church, disputes about the (...) status and content of religious courses have been leading in relevance for the last five to six years. (shrink)

After the arrival of Soviet troops on the territory of Ukraine, the Orthodox Church undergoes qualitative and quantitative changes here. She was "returned" by the clergy and the faithful of the newly-reunified Church, joined by the parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the territories of Izmail, Odesa, Chernivtsi and other regions. A complicated process of liquidation in Ukraine of the structures of the UAOC revived during the war and "reunion" with the Orthodox Greek-Catholicism began. All these measures do not (...) always have a clear explanation. In addition to imperial ambitions and attempts to avoid competition by eliminating the competitors themselves, the Orthodox Church often did not have the choice of performing a social order of power structures. (shrink)