Theism in Indic philosophy from the point of view of Christianity.

Advancements in science and technology have not only brought hope to humankind to produce disease-free offspring, but also offer possibilities to genetically enhance the next generation’s traits and capacities. Human genetic enhancement, however, raises complex ethical questions, such as to what extent should it be allowed? It has been a great challenge for humankind to develop robust ethical guidelines for human genetic enhancement that address both public concerns and needs. We believe that research about public concerns is necessary prior to (...) developing such guidelines, yet the issues have not been thoroughly investigated in many countries, including Malaysia. Since the novel often functions as a medium for the public to express their concerns, this paper explores ethical concerns about human genetic enhancement expressed in four Malay science fiction novels namely Klon, Leksikon Ledang, Transgenesis Bisikan Rimba and Transgenik Sifar. Religion has a strong influence on the worldview of the Malays therefore some concerns such as playing God are obviously religious. Association of the negative image of scientists as well as the private research companies with the research on human genetic enhancement reflects the authors’ concerns about the main motivations for conducting such research and the extent to which such research will benefit society. (shrink)

Investigating how a number of modern empires transform over the long century (1789-1914) as a consequence of their struggle for ascendancy in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, Foundations of Modernity: Human Agency and the Imperial State moves the study of the modern empire towards a comparative, trans-regional analysis of events along the Ottoman frontiers: Western Balkans, the Persian Gulf and Yemen. This inter-disciplinary approach of studying events at different ends of the Ottoman Empire challenges previous emphasis on Europe as (...) the only source of change and highlights the progression of modern imperial states.The book introduces an entirely new analytical approach to the study of modern state power and the social consequences to the interaction between long-ignored "historical agents" like pirates, smugglers, refugees, and the rural poor. In this respect, the roots of the most fundamental institutions and bureaucratic practices associated with the modern state prove to be the by-products of certain kinds of productive exchange long categorized in negative terms in post-colonial and mainstream scholarship. Such a challenge to conventional methods of historical and social scientific analysis is reinforced by the novel use of the work of Louis Althusser, Talal Asad, William Connolly and Frederick Cooper, whose challenges to scholarly conventions will prove helpful in changing how we understand the origins of our modern world and thus talk about Modernity. This book offers a methodological and historiographic intervention meant to challenge conventional studies of the modern era"--Provided by publisher. (shrink)

The article deals with philosophy of mathematics called quasi-empiricism, with special attention paid to concepts of changes in mathematics as a result of social activity during its development. Three outlooks on historical changes in the development of mathematics are presented: Wilder's description of mathematical practise in a cultural framework, Garbiner's analysis of „scientific revolution” in mathematics in the end of 18th century and Kitcher's criticism of invariability and cummulativity of mathematical knowledge and his application of Kuhn's philosophy of science to (...) mathematics. (shrink)

Responsibility is one of the characteristics that distinguishes human from other living beings. Man is an entity that can think independently and has a right to choose. Everything on earth is created for man. Besides reason and will, countless blessings have been given to man. Man will be taken into account from all these blessings. Responsibility is the legal situation in which assets possessing intelligence and cognition will be faced as a result of a violation of a rule or a (...) voluntary act. Mental and revelation evidence shows the responsibility of man, one of the most valuable beings in the world. Blessings are an important element in the context of human testing and responsibility.In this research, which aims to explain the notion of blessing in the Qur'an in the context of human responsibility, man's will and actions, responsibility, the meaning of the concept of blessing, forms used in the Qur'an, some concepts used in the meaning of blessing in the Qur'an. At this point, the wisdom of blessings, the position of man in the face of blessing, and the duties demanded by man in return for blessings have been explained. Blessing is a broad concept with positive and negative aspects. Therefore, it has been emphasized importance of the element of blessing connection with the responsibility of man in terms of the world's life and the hereafter. (shrink)

The recent development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has rekindled the ethical debate concerning human germline modification that has begun decades ago. This inexpensive technology shows tremendous promise in disease prevention strategies, while raising complex ethical concerns about safety and efficacy of the technology, human dignity, tampering with God’s creation, and human genetic enhancement. Germline gene editing may result in heritable changes in the human genome, therefore the question of whether it should be allowed requires deep and careful discussion from various perspectives. (...) This paper explores Islamic perspectives on the concerns raised and highlights the ethical principles in Islam that should be taken into consideration when assessing the permissibility of CRISPR/ Cas9-mediated human germline gene editing. As argued in this paper, human germline gene editing would be considered lawful for medical purpose under certain conditions. It should not be applied on humans until the safety and efficacy issues are resolved. Robust ethical guidelines and strict regulations are necessary to preserve human dignity and to prevent premature and misuse of the technology. Maqasid al-shariah’s principles of preservation of human life, lineage, and dignity and ‘preventing harm takes precedence over securing benefit’ are among the guiding principles in assessing the permissibility of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated human germline editing from an Islamic perspective. Further discussions are important to address the controversies as well as to explore the related ethical principles. (shrink)

The discovery and invention of new medical applications may be considered blessings to humankind. However, some applications which might be the only remedy for certain diseases may contain ingredients or involve methods that are not in harmony with certain cultural and religious perspectives. These situations have raised important questions in medical ethics; are these applications completely prohibited according to these perspectives, and is there any room for mitigation? This paper explores the concept of darurah and its deliberation in the formulation (...) of fatwas on medicine issued by the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia. Darurah has explicitly been taken into consideration in the formulation of 14 out of 45 fatwas on medicine thus far, including one of the latest fatwas regarding uterine donation and transplantation. These fatwas are not only limited to the issues regarding the use of unlawful things as remedies. They include issues pertaining to organ transplantation, management of the corpse and treatment of brain dead patients. While deliberation of darurah in medicine may vary from issue to issue, darurah applies in a dire situation in which there are no lawful means to prevent harm that may be inflicted upon human life. Nevertheless, other aspects must also be taken into the deliberation. For example, consent must be obtained from the donor or his next of kin to conduct a cadaveric organ transplantation. (shrink)

This paper describes maslahah, a fundamental concept in Islam and its application in deliberating permissibility of human germline gene editing from an Islamic perspective. This paper refers to He Jiankui’s research that led to the birth of the world’s first gene edited babies, who were edited to be protected from HIV. The objective, procedure, and output of the research were assessed against the conditions of maslahah. It can be concluded that the experiment did not meet the conditions; it is inconsistent (...) with the objectives of shariah and some fundamental Islamic teachings that it did not preserve greater benefit, hence it could be considered impermissible. (shrink)

The field of bioethics aims to ensure that modern scientific and technological advancements have been primarily developed for the benefits of humankind. This field is deeply rooted in the traditions of Western moral philosophy and socio-political theory. With respect to the view that the practice of bioethics in certain community should incorporate religious and cultural elements, this paper attempts to expound bioethical tradition of the Malay-Muslim community in Malaysia, with shedding light on the mechanism used by the National Fatwa Council (...) to evaluate whether an application of biological sciences is ethical or not. By using the application of the genetically modified food as a case study, this study has found that the council had reviewed the basic guidelines in the main references of shari'ah in order to make decision on the permissibility of the application. The fatwa is made after having consultation with the experts in science field. The council has taken all factors into consideration and given priority to the general aim of shari'ah which to serve the interests of mankind and to save them from harm. (shrink)

Advancement of modern agricultural biotechnology has brought various potential benefits to humankind, but at the same time ethical concerns regarding some applications such as genetically modified foods have been raised among the public. Several questions are being posed; should they utilize such applications to improve quality of their life, or should they refrain in order to save themselves from any associated risk? What are the ethical principles that can be applied to assess these applications? By using GMF as a case (...) study, this paper discusses possible answers to these questions from Islamic perspective. Such answers are based on the understanding of the Islamic concept of maslahah and mafsadah as well as the Islamic principles of priority. There is no specific GMF that has been declared as unlawful by Muslim scholars thus far. Nevertheless, they generally state that any GMF that contains unlawful substance is prohibited in Islam. Such statement can be understood since Islam puts highest priority to preserve shari’ah which prescribes the lawful and unlawful things in human life. Priorities have also been given to preserve human health and environment therefore any GMF that may inflict harm on both entities is also considered as unlawful. (shrink)

The comparative analysis of Hesychasm in the late Byzantine Orthodox Church and Sufism in the Islamic tradition illuminates intriguing parallels and distinctions in their spiritual frameworks. Emphasizing the significance of spiritual experiences through prayer, Hesychasm, rooted in Orthodox spirituality, focuses on hesychia and the prayer of the heart. Sufism, within the Islamic tradition, centers on dhikr, the continuous remembrance of Allah. Despite shared teachings on the heart and continuous prayer, the traditions diverge in practices, such as the Jesus Prayer in (...) Hesychasm and the invocation of Allah's name in Sufism, contributing to the rich tapestry of spiritual experiences. This comparative exploration offers nuanced insights into diverse ways spiritual seekers engage with the divine across cultures. Recognizing universal quests for connection with the transcendent, the analysis contributes to the broader dialogue on mysticism and spirituality. The discussions on divine light, knowledge of God, and transformative processes underscore shared themes, while differences in theological nuances highlight the unique paths individuals traverse in their spiritual journeys. Ultimately, both Hesychasm and Sufism emphasize the experiential dimension of spirituality, fostering profound encounters with the divine despite their theological and philosophical distinctions. (shrink)

Compartilha resultados de pesquisa exploratória para aplicação do modelo de regime de informação ao conjunto das 14 edições dos Anais do Colóquio Habermas, evento de comunicação científica na área de Ciência da Informação. Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva e documental, apoiada no método indiciário (Ginzburg) e na técnica do brauseio (Araújo), realizada nos arquivos dos Anais dos Colóquios no período de 2009 a 2022. Adota a abordagem do regime de informação na perspectiva de González de Gómez, apresentando seus elementos — atores (...) sociais, ações, dispositivos e artefatos de informação — no contexto da forma de vida da comunidade científica. Descreve as interações entre os elementos do regime de informação do Colóquio Habermas desde a criação, por atores sociais, de um valor de informação (estrato semântico-pragmático) à conformação das regras em dispositivos (estrato meta-informacional) e o compartilhamento dos resultados mediante artefatos digitais (infraestruturas de informação). Foram identificados quatro grupos de atores sociais no conjunto de participantes dos Colóquios Habermas: (a) os que participam desde o início; (b) os que começaram a participar em meados da série histórica; (c) os que começaram a participar recentemente, mantendo regularidade na participação; e (d) os que participaram apenas uma vez. Em uma análise preliminar, entende-se que através da realização dos Colóquios e da publicação dos Anais os resultados da pesquisa científica foram compartilhados e discutidos por uma comunidade qualificada, propiciando a criação de novos conhecimentos na Ciência da Informação. (shrink)

The negotiations with the Ottomans over how exactly to define the boundary separating each party's domain were largely confused by a completely different set of criteria. The Ottomans constantly argued that the areas they claimed had historically and thus always formed part of the Ottoman territory. They installed troops in the areas in dispute and actually started to collect taxes, in part thanks to Muqbil's aggressive alliance-building. The longer this physical presence was maintained, the more difficult it was for the (...) British to argue that these areas were actually Dali. It was largely the growing insurgency in Ottoman Yemen, in some respects a product of British machinations, that ultimately led to the 1903 capitulation by the Ottoman authorities to British demands for formal control of the Dali plateau. (shrink)

Esta é a terceira vez que tenho a honra de participar dos Colóquios Habermas, o qual tem propiciado aos pesquisadores da Ciência da Informação, no Brasil, um encontro com o pensamento do filósofo e sociólogo Jürgen Habermas. No processo, aprendi com meus colegas pesquisadores e entrei na rede de conexões conceituais que tece o fio de Habermas no tear conceitual da Ciência da Informação, no Brasil. Começou em 2020, quando compartilhei o resultado de exercício sobre o conceito de esfera pública (...) aplicado no Laboratório de Tecnologias Intelectuais – LTi. Na revisão da literatura, na Brapci, usando, identifiquei 94 artigos que fazem menção ao descritor, no período de 1972 a 2020. Alguns desses artigos me ajudaram a compreender o conceito e aplicá-lo às ações de mediação no Portal do LTi na web. Uma nova busca, combinando tornou-se necessária, sendo recuperados apenas oito arquivos. O entendimento, ao final, é que as redes sociais do LTi podem ser consideradas como esfera pública, embora não apresentem o aspecto político partidário presente na abordagem habermasiana. (shrink)

Apresenta resultados de pesquisa sobre emergência de produção científica publicada em periódicos sobre a temática no campo da Ciência da Informação, no Brasil. Discorre sobre o contexto teórico das ciências sociais e o modelo de rede conceitual proposto por Wersig (1993) para a Ciência da Informação. Relata o processo de pesquisa, que adotou o método indiciário e o brauseio como instrumentos para a identificação dos indícios de produção sobre a temática na literatura indexada pela Base de Dados Referencial de Artigos (...) de Periódicos em Ciência da Informação - Brapci. Conclui que nos últimos 13 anos a produção sobre a temática vem crescendo na literatura brasileira, em número de autores e artigos, os quais abordam temas relacionados à epistemologia (responsabilidade social como fundamento da Ciência da Informação), à teoria (ações de política e gestão na sociedade da informação) e da aplicação (em unidades e para profissionais da informação). (shrink)

Investiga a produção científica na temática Epistemologia e Historiografia da Ciência da informação a partir dos Anais do Encontro Nacional de Pesquisa em Ciência da informação, de dados da Plataforma Lattes e da literatura indexada na Base de Dados da Ciência da informação. Identifica o coletivo de pesquisadores que dão continuidade e consistência ao trabalho epistemológico e historiográfico da área. Destaca, na temática abordada, um grupo que consegue produzir mais que a maioria dos demais pesquisadores. Pesquisadores com alunos na pós-graduação (...) tendem a publicar mais artigos em colaboração do que os outros autores que se não encaixam nesse perfil. Os resultados permitiram a descrição de perfis de pesquisadores a partir de um recorte. Conclui que as pesquisas sobre a referida temática, alinhadas aos preceitos dos estudos métricos, podem permitir o desenvolvimento de teias conceituais e metodológicas da Ciência da Informação. (shrink)

Discussions of the relationship between consciousness and language are troubled by simplistic views of both. Denying a central role of consciousness in linguistics is commonplace in generative linguistics, but self-contradictory. On the other hand, a defence of consciousness by some cognitive and functional linguists is marred by a conflation of consciousness with 'introspection'. I argue for the need to distinguish (at least) between three kinds of acts of consciousness: observation, introspection and intuition, where the last one is based on intersubjectively (...) binding social norms. It is intuition that is the most fundamental form of consciousness for the study of language, from antiquity to the present. Furthermore, I show how the three modes of (linguistic) consciousness are related, by defining empathy (as used e.g. in typological explanations) as vicarious introspection, and intuition as conventionalized empathy. (shrink)

In this article, our aim is to examine the place of “reality” in Richard Rorty’s thought in view of the important and key discussion of language in the philosophy of this thinker. In other words, we know that with the occurrence of the “linguistic turn” in the middle of the twentieth century, the relationship between language and reality has become one of the central debates of philosophy, especially analytical philosophy, and has become of particular importance. Is it language that determines (...) the external reality for us? Is knowing the world outside the mind possible only through the possibilities that language gives us? And to what extent does the structure of language affect our cognitive pattern? These are only a part of the linguistic concerns that have occupied the minds of contemporary philosophers. The main concern and problem of the present article, which has been approached using a descriptive-analytical method, is to examine the relationship between language and reality in Richard Rorty’s thought and to show how he defends the linguistic structure of having reality. Rorty, following an analytical philosophy that, in addition to detailed analyses of traditional philosophical concepts, like the concepts of truth, meaning, necessity, etc. and by changing the discussion from experience to discussion from language in the direction of pragmatizing the basic principles of positivism, believes that it is trans-lingual and trans-temporal. The common denominator that Plato found in the outside world and transferred to man in the Cartesian-Kantian tradition is sought in analytic philosophy in language, and so analytic philosophers continue to pursue the traditional philosophy project of providing a trans-historical and eternal framework for the accurate representation of the world. Rorty tries to overcome this view of analytical philosophers with a Darwinist and pragmatic view of language and under the influence of philosophers such as Wittgenstein.For Darwinists, language is a tool among other tools that gives its users the ability to better and more efficiently adapt to their environment and meet their needs. For the likes of Wittgenstein and like-minded people, despite their many and sometimes profound differences, language had an important and pivotal place with its eventual and possibility feature. Influenced by thinkers such as Wittgenstein, and in the context of his Darwinist and pragmatic approach to language, Rorty attributes certain characteristics to language that can be said to influence his whole thought. Firstly, he considers language as a tool like other tools and, therefore, considers it to have no fixed nature and identity. Given that it is not possible to leave the language and on the other hand language has a poetic and metaphorical character, the function of language cannot be a representation of reality and reality can never be available to us naked and as independent of language and descriptions. Therefore, from Rorty’s point of view, reality is a linguistic and constructed matter of language that we humans have invented in cooperation with each other and in accordance with our historical-cultural situation and needs. Of course, Rorty’s point in saying that reality is made by language is by no means that we create reality arbitrarily and as we wish; rather, what is happening is that we are responding to an external stimulus, a response of various sentence types that manifests itself as linguistic reactions. (shrink)

Esbozamos los elementos de un nuevo modelo conceptual para entender desde la perspectiva latinoamericana qué ocasiona el desbalance entre naturaleza y sociedad y vislumbrar así las verdaderas oportunidades y amenazas de soslayar el abismo entre lo ambiental y lo social al integrar efectivamente desarrollo y conservación. Como propuesta teórica endógena compatible con la perdurabilidad del bienestar humano y producto de 10 años de investigación en el medio rural latinoamericano (sur), presentamos al enfoque Conservación Integral Alternativa. En este artículo además de (...) considerar los temas de pobreza, población y neoliberalismo, entre otros, redefinimos los conceptos de desarrollo sustentable, diversidad biocultural y conservación biológica; los que, analizados a la luz de valores ancestrales, acumulación de riqueza, agricultura para la vida y políticas ambientales, arrojan un panorama diferente de la visión convencional de la conservación. (shrink)

Journal of Applied Philosophy, EarlyView.

PurposeDrawing upon the stimulus-organism-response model, this paper aims to investigate the effects of stores’ environmental components on Chinese consumers’ emotions and intentions to purchase luxury brands.Design/Methodology/ApproachData were collected from Chinese consumers who have purchased luxury brands from retail stores. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were employed for data analysis.FindingsThe results of PLS-SEM indicated that three dimensions of the store environment directly and significantly influenced Chinese consumers’ emotions. However, fsQCA revealed greater heterogeneity among respondents by highlighting (...) stores’ environmental components and Chinese consumers’ emotions.Originality/ValueThis study makes significant contributions to the marketing literature by examining the S-O-R model alongside fsQCA approach to conditionally predict outcomes in a luxury brand context. The present study may be one of the first to examine the effects of stores’ environmental components on Chinese consumers’ emotions and purchase intentions, applying both symmetrical test and asymmetrical test approaches to determine significant components of the store environment as well as component combinations that predict Chinese consumers’ emotions and purchase intentions. (shrink)

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Although there are numerous studies about the Circassian Mamluk state, however there are no well rounded and integrated studies dealing with the phenomenon of the high grain and foodstuffs prices in Egypt during that era. The study problem aims to address the factors influencing the high prices like state control over the agricultural lands and the monopoly over grains by the men in power, the power struggles, and the abundant fraud in (...) the coins, the study methodology is based on the collection of data from historical sources contemporaneous of the Mamluk state, and proceeding with the analysis of those sources followed by a critique and discussion, then framing an outcome within a comprehensive and well integrated paper, and we conclude form the study that the immediate cause of corruption during the Mamluk state was the practice of selling the public office positions, where jobs were gives to the ones who pay more regardless of skills and qualifications, which led to jobs being occupied by inefficient and unqualified individuals, who have no interest but to collect money unjustly which was reflected in a very negative manner on the whole of the administrative, social and economic conditions of the state, and the high prices phenomenon had grave and harsh effects on the Egyptian society, where two million individuals died, the policy of repressions and authoritarianism practiced by the state had great influence on limiting the demonstrations of the public against the high prices, the benefit of this study is that it shows how the corruption of the state administration leads to negative and grave effects on the conditions of the society, so ultimately states should be aware of that and must seek to apply justice and fairness in dealing with the citizens. (shrink)

This research aims to study the description, life and biography of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin by Ibn Jubayr, and the economic and social conditions of Egypt as witnessed and described by the traveler Ibn Jubayr and the following results are concluded: First: Ibn Jubayr praised the Ayyubid sultan Saladin and his good conduct and behavior with the subjects, his fairness, his patience and forbearance, modesty and his keen in interest in Jihad for the Sake of Allah. He called him the (...) (Just Sultan).Second: Ibn Jubayr talked about the keen interest of the sultan in the economic matters of the subjects and especially in regard to tax reform in the state where he dropped them completely, and worked to promote security and order, and securing the trade routes, and also gave an accurate description of the international trade stations in Egypt between the east and the west and the markets in some of the cities.Third: Ibn Jubayr described the keen interest of the Sultan in regard to the religious and scientific institutions in the society like schools, mosques, religious landmarks and hospitals through the establishment of some of those institutions, and creating the endowments connected to each one of them, in addition to securing steady salaries for those working and serving in those institutions, and spending on the scholars, students and the poor who came to those institutions. (shrink)

Destination image is essential to tourists' loyalty and has been discussed in length among researchers and marketers in the tourism industry for decades. Based on a literature review, the destination image model, including cognitive image, affective image, and conative image, has been firmly established as an acceptable means to gain an understanding of tourists' behavior toward revisiting and recommendations. The understanding of the moderating role of cultural constructs is still unclear, especially in cross-cultural travel behavior. Therefore, this conceptual paper proposes (...) an integrated model of cognitive-affective-conative image that includes the constructs of individualism and uncertainty avoidance. Based on the underpinning theories and empirical studies, this paper proposes affective image potentially mediates the correlation between cognitive image and conative image. This model also incorporated individualism and uncertainty as potential moderating effects between affective image and conative image. By integrating individualism and uncertainty avoidance into the theoretical model from the perspective of tourism, this paper contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of travel behavior on emerging tourism marketing. (shrink)

Human resources management is essential to ensure the success of any organization which is based on the belief that an organization gains competitive advantage by using its people effectively and efficiently. But HR professionals need organizational support to make the employees more committed and passionate about their work. In this study, the researchers aim to examine the moderating effect of organizational support in the relationship between human resource professionals’ competencies, HR professionals’ willingness, and HR professionals’ effectiveness. HR Professionals’ competencies such (...) as credible activist, talent manager, culture and change steward, strategy architect, business ally, and operational executor nurture HR professionals’ effectiveness. Besides, HR professionals’ willingness is a significant predictor of HR professionals’ effectiveness. To test the relationships, the researcher collected data through survey questionnaire from 183 managers from commercial banks of Pakistan. For statistical analysis, Partial least squares-structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. The findings reveal the positive and significant impact of HR professionals’ competencies and HR professionals’ willingness on HR professionals’ effectiveness. Additionally, the moderating impact of organizational support was also significant among HR professionals’ competencies, HR professionals’ willingness, and HR professionals’ effectiveness relationship. The study contributes in the literature of HR professionals’ effectiveness and organizational support in the banking sector of local context. The study also discusses the implications and future directions. One of them is that the research framework provides guidelines for HR professionals about what competencies are needed to enhance HR professional effectiveness. The present study recommends HR professionals of the banking sector to be involved in strategic planning and implementation in their organization. (shrink)

Research generally concludes that small businesses contribute to economic development. In Malaysia, small firm’s particularly Chinese small firms have played a very important role for economic growth in this country. Chinese firms have managed to survive, grow and succeed either in Malaysia or anywhere else in the world. Most prior research found that the success factor was related to their socio-cultural context. However, previous studies have found the similarities on the cultural values of the Malays and Chinese which derived from (...) ‘Budi Complex’ and ‘Confucianism’ respectively. It was particularly on certain selected values related to self, time and epistemology. Therefore, this paper tries to identify other reasons behind the success factor of the Chinese as compared to the Malay small firms. Thus, looking at the perspective of Knowledge Base View theory, this paper proposed that cultural values are not a mere factor that affect the way Chinese small firms market their operation. The current study thus proposed that how Chinese and Malays acquire and share knowledge, have significant contribution to their success or their failures. (shrink)

With the rapid advancements made in biotechnology, bioethical discourse has become increasingly important. Bioethics is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field that goes beyond the realm of natural sciences, and has involved fields in the domain of the social sciences. One of the important areas in bioethical discourse is religion. In a country like Malaysia, where Muslims make up the majority of the population, Islam plays a crucial role in providing the essential guidelines on the permissibility and acceptability of biotechnological applications (...) in various fields such as medicine, agriculture, and food processing. This article looks at the framework of a complementary model of bioethics derived from the perspective of Islam. The framework is based on ‘maqasid al-shariah’ (purposes or objectives of Islamic law) which aims to protect and preserve mankind’s faith, life, intellect, progeny, and property. It is proposed that ‘maqasid al-shariah’ be used as a pragmatic checklist that can be utilized in tackling bioethical issues and dilemmas. (shrink)

Les philosophes syriaques du IIe au XIVe siècle s'élancèrent à la recherche de la philosophie des Grecs, et principalement celle d'Aristote. Ils étaient les héritiers des anciens Assyriens, des Babyloniens et des Araméens. Ils traduisirent la pensée philosophique grecque en syriaque, idiome de l'araméen, et l'enseignèrent, provoquant ainsi, en Mésopotamie et en Orient, son essor et son succès.

Positive transcription elongation factor b (P‐TEFb), which comprises cyclin‐dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) kinase and cyclin T subunits, is an essential kinase complex in human cells. Phosphorylation of the negative elongation factors by P‐TEFb is required for productive elongation of transcription of protein‐coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II). In addition, P‐TEFb‐mediated phosphorylation of the carboxyl‐terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of pol II mediates the recruitment of transcription and RNA processing factors during the transcription cycle. CDK9 also phosphorylates (...) p53, a tumor suppressor that plays a central role in cellular responses to a range of stress factors. Many viral factors affect transcription by recruiting or modulating the activity of CDK9. In this review, we will focus on how the function of CDK9 is regulated by viral gene products. The central role of CDK9 in viral life cycles suggests that drugs targeting the interaction between viral products and P‐TEFb could be effective anti‐viral agents. (shrink)

An exciting development in the field of assisted reproductive technologies is In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) that enables production of functional gametes from stem cells in the laboratory. Currently, development of this technology is still at an early stage and has demonstrated to work only in rodents. Upon critically examining the ethical dimensions of various possible IVG applications in human fertility treatment from a Sunni Islamic perspective, together with benefit-harm (maslahah-mafsadah) assessment; it is concluded that utilization of IVG, once its efficacy (...) and safety are guaranteed, could be permissible by strictly adhering to Islamic ethical principles related to marriage, biological/genetic relatedness, sexual intercourse, and moral status of the embryo/fetus versus that of the gamete. As a result, IVG will be acceptable for treating primary infertility, age-related infertility, and preventing genetic diseases. However, it will be unacceptable for application in posthumous reproduction, donor gametes, genetic enhancement, and procreation in same-sex couples. (shrink)

The study aims at shedding light on plagues and epidemics that hit Egypt during the Mameluke period through describing the plague disease and the plagues and epidemics that hit Egypt and the social and economic impact on the Egyptian society. The study is based on some historical sources that are contemporary of the Mameluke period, especially the book "Al-Suluk li-marifatiduwal Al-muluk" by Al- Maqrizi and we reach the following conclusions through this research:- Plagues are bacterial and lethal epidemics that spread (...) fast, and have the symptoms of high temperature nausea, and severe fatigue. Most plagues that hit Egypt during the Mameluke era were very severe, and that what is usually referred to as the Great plague or Black Death, where the patient dies within one week of having the disease.- The plagues had harsh social effects on the population, where it caused the death of individuals, and damaged hundreds of Egyptian villages and cities, The conditions of the society almost came a halt, and were an impetus for the people to bind in social solidarity, and the true repentance to Allah the almighty, and the increase of worship and alms hoping that Allah the almighty will shield the people from this disease. - The plagues and epidemics led to disorder and disruption of the economic conditions of the society, where most land was left without farming and most trades and crafts were disrupted and earnings hit lows in the markets and trade was in recession in commerce and trade in general. (shrink)

To demonstrate how green innovation effectively occurs, this study examines the effects of green intellectual capital on GI from the perspective of green supply chain integration. Based on a natural-resource-based view and knowledge-based view, the authors constructed an intermediary model of GIC-GSCI-GI, and analyzed the effects of green absorptive ability and relationship learning ability as moderators. An empirical survey of 328 Chinese manufacturing companies was conducted. Our results indicate that three dimensions of GIC positively impact GI. The mediating effects of (...) internal and external GSCI exist in the relationship between GIC and GI. The moderating effects of GAA and RLA in these effects were also verified. Our study provides further empirical evidence for the relationship between GIC and GI, highlights the effects of companies’ internal and external abilities on GI, and suggests new ways and implementation contexts for GI. (shrink)

O artigo apresenta uma pesquisa qualitativa que relata a organização espacial das fazendas aquícolas no litoral central de Santa Catarina, nas comunidades da Praia de Fora e Enseada de Brito, as quais se encontram no município de Palhoça, pertencentes ao Aglomerado Urbano de Florianópolis. As características de ocupação urbana nas localidades supracitadas remontam ao século XVIII, mantendo as atividades econômicas extrativistas e rurais até a segunda metade do século XX. A partir da década de 1960/1970 verificou-se acelerado processo de construção (...) de casas de veraneio, sobrepujado por uma intensa urbanização com moradores fixos por causa do calçamento da via principal em 2010. A legalização das fazendas marinhas ocorreu nesta mesma época, como parte do “Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Maricultura”, nos estados litorâneos brasileiros com aptidão ao cultivo nas comunidades envolvidas, apesar dos conflitos socioambientais. O município de Palhoça detém a maior produção de mexilhões em Santa Catarina. O marisco é um alimento popular no litoral catarinense e também uma iguaria na gastronomia internacional. A maior ameaça ao setor são os efluentes urbanos e os seus impactos ambientais. A falta de uma associação de produtores, bem como de um planejamento voltado à ocupação territorial de modo controlado e racional, tomando como fim a preservação do ecossistema de interesse, afeta a continuidade e o desenvolvimento econômico da atividade. (shrink)