Smart Contracts enable the automated execution of exchanges on the blockchain. From an ontological perspective, smart contracts create and automate the fulfillment of social commitments between actors. Whereas traditional deontic logic is used to make a legal determination in contractual multi-actor interactions, this paper focuses on the consequences of these actions resulting from that determination, thereby shifting the focus from monitoring to execution. The interactions between actors and the consequences in terms of commitments have not yet been formalized for smart (...) contracts. The perspective of smart contracts is interesting, since they are considered to be autonomous agents, able to generate automated actions. We use the Event Calculus as a formal logic to represent and reason about the effects of these automated actions and the resulting commitments. Since the Event Calculus deals with local events and the consideration of time, this approach enables the uniform representation of commitments, including their operations and reasoning rules. (shrink)

This paper presents a comprehensive account of Peirce's post-1900 theory of abduction. The account aims at bringing together various strands of discussion in Peirce's work, showing how their interaction creates a more coherent picture of his thoughts on abductive reasoning as manifest after the turn of the century. The discussion is of a historical nature, rather than a critical assessment.

Two works on Dvaita (Vedanta) philosophy; critical edition.

Islamic law; interpretation and construction; Shiites.

The prayers of lament in The Psalter give a form to the worst experiences of life which follows the movement innate to human suffering and yet places it in the presence of the one who alone can address decisive word to those who suffer.

Rethinking Justice lifts up and restores an idea of justice found in classical writers as well as more recent thinkers. Justice deals with righting wrongs and restoring peace to individuals and communities. We have lost sight of this and must return to it in mind and practice.

The biblical metaphor of covenant sets the primary issue of pastoral care, namely, grounding in another vis-á-vis self-groundedness.

David and the other actors in this narrative have enormous power and freedom to act, but they are not free to act as though Yahweh were not there.

The Jeremiah portrayed in the Old Testament book bearing his name has become the paradigmatic figure of the prophet as he struggles with his God and with his own vocation of announcing God's Word to his time.

YHWH, the God of Israel, is not only a character embedded in the plot of the Book of Joshua. YHWH is the chief protagonist and the engine that drives the plot. Even when there are other actors in the plot, notably Joshua, their performances in the plot are at the behest of and in response to the intention of YHWH.

Presently, there are two views of human history vying for our allegiance. The one is grounded in the Enlightenment and insists that history is a closed process whose course is determined by the dictum that “might makes right.” The other view is that of supernaturalism, which regards every event in history as a direct act of God. Challenging both of these views is the prophetic construal of history. This construal dares to identify extraordinary human events—the promise of Isaac to Abraham (...) and Sarah, the exodus, the pronouncements of Israel's great prophets, and the ministry of Jesus—as acts of God. Such extraordinary events have the power to free us to speak of God as enacting “newness” also in our time. (shrink)

Critical edition of classical Sanskrit commentary on the Yogasūtra of Patañjali.

Super commentaries on Pañcīkaraṇa by Śaṅkarācārya, and Pañcīkaraṇavārttika by Surēśvarācārya, verse works on the apparent manifestation of the Absolute (Brahman) in the phenomenal world through the five basic elements (Pañcamahābhūtās).