The present volume honors Rabbi Professor Nehemia Polen, one of those rare scholars whose religious teachings, spiritual writings, and academic scholarship have come together into a sustained project of interpretive imagination and engagement. Without compromising his intellectual integrity, his work brings forth the sacred from the mundane and expands the reach of Torah. He has shown us a path in which narrow scholarship is directly linked to a quest for ever-broadening depth and connectivity. The essays in this collection, (...) from his students, colleagues, and friends, are a testament to his enduring impact on the scholarly community. The contributions explore a range of historical periods and themes, centering upon the fields dear to Polen's heart, but a common thread unites them. Each essay is grounded in deeply engaged textual scholarship casting a glance upon the sources that is at once critical and beneficent. As a whole, they seek to give readers a richer sense of the fabric of Jewish interpretation and theology, from the history of Jewish mysticism, the promise and perils of exegesis, and the contemporary relevance of premodern and early modern texts. (shrink)

In The Hasidic Moses, Aryeh Wineman invites readers to join him on a journey through various eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Hasidic texts that interpret the life of Moses. Such texts read their own accent on spirituality and innerness along with their conceptions of community and spiritual leadership into the biblical account of Moses. Wineman reveals the ways in which historical Hasidic voices interpreted both the Exodus from Egypt and the scene of Revelation at Sinai as statements concerning what occurs constantly in (...) our lives at all times. In addition, Wineman shows how Hasidic readers embraced the idea that Moses had to die in order that his soul might return to the world in the righteous and holy ones of every generation, and that the presence of Moses actually transcends time and is present in spiritual understanding as it unfolds at any moment in any period. ""Aryeh Wineman has written a clear and accessible book that serves as a delightful entry into the world of Hasidic thought. Using the template of Hasidic interpretations of the life of Moses, he takes the reader carefully through a broad range of Hasidic works, highlighting the Hasidic resistance to the plain meaning of scripture, opting instead for their penchant for devotional and spiritually deepening readings... The impulse toward spiritualizing both deepens the original text of the Torah and transcends it, stimulating the reader to read the Torah as an edifying document, rather than primarily a historical, legal, or even national work."" --Joel Hecker, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College ""Aryeh Wineman's The Hasidic Moses is a triumph on every level... The figure of Moses is brought alive in the words of the classic Hasidic masters and is made available for a new generation of spiritual seekers hungry to find meaning in biblical models and mystical texts. The Bible tells us that no one knows where Moses is buried--but we can say that he lives robustly in Aryeh Wineman's sparking new book!"" --Nehemia Polen, Hebrew College, Newton Centre, Massachusetts ""Aryeh Wineman writes authoritatively as the scholar he is, but addresses himself--like the rabbi he also is--not to other scholars, but to readers and seekers who would like to understand. In this way he lives the humility of the teacher Moses and leads us through his writing into the depths of the Hasidic homily and parable... For those of us who don't have direct access to the hasidic texts he translates, his gentle and careful presentation of The Hasidic Moses is a gift from soul to soul."" --Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus and Burnt Books Aryeh Wineman has written many studies in the area of Hebrew literature and Jewish mysticism. (shrink)

This article expands on anthropological understandings of affect and emotion to include certain theological and religious concepts that structure and give meaning to the daily lives of religious nationalists in areas of ethnic and political conflict. In doing so, it will ethnographically explore the relationship between theological notions of sanctity and the way those notions manifest themselves in the context of contemporary Jewish religious Zionism in both Israel and the Occupied West Bank. I will argue that analyzing mystical conceptions of (...) sanctity as a distinct affect opens new areas of human experience, which anthropologists may use to better grapple with the dilemmas posed by nationalism and religious extremism in an increasingly politically fraught world. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to study the general and contextual issues related to prayers for the departed with a focus on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). In 2012, the ELCT published a new hymnal, which included a number of prayers for those mourning their deceased friends and relatives, as well as prayers for the deceased individuals themselves. As a result of considerable criticism, this hymnal was replaced by a new edition in 2017, in which the prayers (...) for the departed were omitted. The article further scrutinises the historical and theological aspects of praying for the departed in Lutheranism. It studies examples of prayers for the dead in Lutheran churches in two other countries, Finland and Sweden, and relates these to the situation in the ELCT. (shrink)

There are presently two leading foreign policy decision-making paradigms in vogue. The first is based on the classical or rational model originally posited by von Neumann and Morgenstern to explain microeconomic decisions. The second is based on the cybernetic perspective whose groundwork was laid by Herbert Simon in his early research on bounded rationality. In this paper we introduce a third perspective — thepoliheuristic theory of decision-making — as an alternative to the rational actor and cybernetic paradigms in international relations. (...) This theory is drawn in large part from research on heuristics done in experimental cognitive psychology. According to the poliheuristic theory, policy makers use poly (many) heuristics while focusing on a very narrow range of options and dimensions when making decisions. Among them, the political dimension is noncompensatory. The paper also delineates the mathematical formulations of the three decision-making models. (shrink)

There are presently two leading foreign policy decision-making paradigms in vogue. The first is based on the classical or rational model originally posited by von Neumann and Morgenstern to explain microeconomic decisions. The second is based on the cybernetic perspective whose groundwork was laid by Herbert Simon in his early research on bounded rationality. In this paper we introduce a third perspective -- the poliheuristic theory of decision-making -- as an alternative to the rational actor and cybernetic paradigms in international (...) relations. This theory is drawn in large part from research on heuristics done in experimental cognitive psychology. According to the poliheuristic theory, policy makers use poly (many) heuristics while focusing on a very narrow range of options and dimensions when making decisions. Among them, the political dimension is noncompensatory. The paper also delineates the mathematical formulations of the three decision-making models. (shrink)

This volume contains 17 articles on various aspects of Islamic thought in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia. The first 9 articles concentrate especially on the Qur’ān and its exegesis, Kalām and Sufism; the second 8 articles deal with Javanese Islam, and with Islam and modernity in Southeast Asia.

The book of Nehemiah provides a remarkable example of transformation leader motivated by, and acting for, God's ends: God's glory and the good of those served. It also provides an example of the use of godly means: the pursuit of spirituality in leadership, integrity and visioner focus upon achieving desirable results. The Transformational leaders in organization and communication is very important. The formulation of the problems that the author raises in this scientific paper are: First, is the character of (...) class='Hi'>Nehemia the most dominant character modeled by the contemporary leaders? Second, which background category most dominantly determines the transformational leadership based on the book of Nehemiah for the contemporary leaders. The writer uses a quantitative descriptive method with a correlational survey type explanation method. From the results of the data analysis: First: “The transformational leadership based on the book of Nehemiah for the contemporary leaders are in the sufficient category” in this research is proven. Second, “The dimension of Spirituality as the character of Nehemiah who is most dominant in the role modeled by the transformational leadership based on the Book of Nehemiah” is proven to be true. (shrink)

In the former socialist countries the relation of philosophy to social reality, as shaped by the political interests of the State, must be considered for each particular case with a view to the historical dynamics of its own development. The Polish case is not typical in this regard — it was determined by the failure of forced sovietization at the institutional, cultural level and the maintenance of Poland''s traditional contacts with Western European culture. In this regard Polish universities played an (...) important role since they preserved normal structures of academic activity.Philosophy in Poland has been marked by three currents which managed to rebuff the advances of Marxism. Best known among them is the Lwów-Warsaw school of logic and analytic philosophy. Its contribution is especially important in the methodology of philosophical inquiry and the style of responsible philosophical discourse. Though not a bed of political opposition the school''s members mounted a spiritual opposition to Marxism, especially during the Solidarity period. Catholic philosophy, as represented by the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), has been and remains a completely independent force in Eastern and Central Europe. Doctrinally, Catholic philosophy in Poland has been divided between a more traditional, dated Thomism and the more progressive circles in Cracow where Western European philosophy, especially phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics, has been influential (the significance of Józef Tischner and Karol Wojtyla, now Pope Jean Paul II). The third major current, centered in Cracow, is the phenomenology of Roman Ingarden, whose influence is manifest in a style of philosophizing that has attracted professional philosophers as well as committed intellectuals from different disciplines. (shrink)

In the former socialist countries the relation of philosophy to social reality, as shaped by the political interests of the State, must be considered for each particular case with a view to the historical dynamics of its own development. The Polish case is not typical in this regard -- it was determined by the failure of forced sovietization at the institutional, cultural level and the maintenance of Poland's traditional contacts with Western European culture. In this regard Polish universities played an (...) important role since they preserved 'normal' structures of academic activity. Philosophy in Poland has been marked by three currents which managed to rebuff the advances of Marxism. Best known among them is the Lwów-Warsaw school of logic and analytic philosophy. Its contribution is especially important in the methodology of philosophical inquiry and the style of responsible philosophical discourse. Though not a bed of political opposition the school's members mounted a 'spiritual opposition' to Marxism, especially during the Solidarity period. Catholic philosophy, as represented by the Catholic University of Lublin, has been and remains a completely independent force in Eastern and Central Europe. Doctrinally, Catholic philosophy in Poland has been divided between a more traditional, dated Thomism and the more progressive circles in Cracow where Western European philosophy, especially phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics, has been influential. The third major current, centered in Cracow, is the phenomenology of Roman Ingarden, whose influence is manifest in a style of philosophizing that has attracted professional philosophers as well as committed intellectuals from different disciplines. Against this diversified background Marxism had to prove its mettle, a requirement that explains the unique internal differentiation and pluralism within Polish Marxist philosophy. The decisive factors in its development were its rejection of Soviet Marxism-Leninism and the opening to Western Marxism. The often remarked 'revisionist' character of Polish Marxism consists in the recognition by its most talented representatives of the fundamental incompatibility between Marxism as the ideological legitimation of the Communist state and as a philosophy subject to rational criteria. In effect, Polish Marxists thought the theory through to its end, and in this sense brought to light its inherently unstable nature: to be a philosophy it would have to cease to be Marxist, to be Marxist means having to pander to ideology. The confrontation of the diverse currents in Polish philosophy contributed to an unfortunate result: for political reasons non-Marxists steered clear of social philosophical questions, while official Marxism, which suppressed the 'revisionist' trend, obfuscated the relation between philosophy and social reality. Today philosophy in Poland has the urgent task to contribute to the reconstruction of a social rationality combining a critical consciousness with moral elements of commitment and responsibility. (shrink)

In dem Artikel wird sich mit Patienten-Arzt-Verhältnis in Bezug auf polnische Zwangsarbeiter im Deutschen Reich befasst. Die Analyse der Dokumente aus der Zeit des Zweiten Weltkrieges zeigte, dass dieses Verhältnis hauptsächlich von ideologischen und ökonomischen Faktoren geprägt war. Zudem waren daran mehrere Akteure beteiligt, die über unterschiedlich große Handlungsspielräume verfügten: Neben dem deutschen Arzt nahmen auch Arbeitgeber und Krankenkassen Einfluss auf den Umfang der medizinischen Versorgung polnischer Zwangsarbeiter. Anstatt sich an Prinzipien der ärztlichen Ethik zu orientieren, verfolgten diese eine rein (...) ökonomisch motivierte Strategie. In deren Mittelpunkt stand nicht die Genesung der Patienten, sondern die Wiederherstellung der Arbeitskraft bei minimalem Aufwand. In den allermeisten Fällen geschah dies über den Kopf der Betroffenen hinweg. (shrink)

Einer der Wendepunkte für die polische Nietzsche-Rezeption ist das Jahr 1989, das den Nietzsche-Forschern in Polen ganz neu Perspektiven erschließt und einen freien und souveränen Raum für die Beschäftigung mid dem gedanklichen Erbe des deutschen Philosophen schafft. Nach 1989 nimmt die Zahl der Buchpulikationen, die sich mit der Exegese der Nietzscheschen Philosophie befassen, entschieden zu. Die meisten Werke Nietzsches sind neu übersetzt worden; ein frisches Unternehmen ist das Projekt der Übersetzung des Nachtlasses Nietzsches. Das aktuelle Profil in der Nietzsche-Forschung (...) ist überwiegend durch die postmoderne und poststruckturalistische Perspektive bestimmit, die allmählich zu Gunsten der hermeneutischen und geschichtlich-philosophischen Forschung in den Hintergrund rückt.The year 1989 represents a turning point in polish Nietzsche interpretation as political events opened new perspectives and created a space in which the intellectual inheritance of the german philosopher could be freely discussed. After 1989, the number of publications dealing with Nietzsche's philosophy sharply increased. Most of Nietzsche's works were newly translated, and a project to translate Nachlass has recently begun. Current Nietzsche research is predominantly shaped by postmodern and poststructuralist perspectives, which are gradually pushed into the background by hermeneutical and philosophical-historical research. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Kant-Studien Jahrgang: 106 Heft: 3 Seiten: 518-522.

Between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, the prospect of shale gas extraction in Europe at first prompted fervent political support, then met with local and national opposition, and was finally rendered moot by a global collapse in the oil price. In the Europe-wide protests against shale gas and the main technique employed to extract it, hydraulic fracturing, counter-expertise played a crucial role. This kind of expertise is one of the main elements of (...) “energy citizenship,” a concept recently developed in the field of energy humanities which describes the empowerment of citizens in decision-making processes related to energy issues. This paper provides a socio-historical analysis of the co-production of counter-expertise and energy citizenship in the two European countries endowed with the largest shale gas reserves: Poland and France. In my analysis, concerns over the disruption of the food-water-energy nexus due to possible pollution emerge as particularly important. I argue that the exchange of information between activist groups and NGOs, as well as between activist groups from distant European locations, allowed for the creation of a genuinely transnational and science-based anti-fracking movement.ZuammenfassungZwischen der zweiten Hälfte der 2000er und der ersten Hälfte der 2010er Jahre, löste die Aussicht auf die Förderung von Schiefergas in Europa zuerst weitreichende politische Begeisterung aus, dann Gegeninitiativen auf der lokalen und nationalen Ebene, und schließlich Resignation, als ein weltweiter Einbruch des Ölpreises die Gewinnannahmen des Unternehmens in Frage stellte. Im Erfolg der europäischen Proteste gegen Schiefergas und „hydraulic fracturing“ war die Rolle der Gegenexpertise entscheidend. Diese Art von Expertise ist eines der Hauptelemente von „energy citizenship“, ein Konzept das kürzlich im Bereich der „Energy Humanities“ entwickelt wurde und für die Befähigung des Bürgers zur Entscheidungsfindung in energiebezogenen Fragen steht. Die vorliegende Studie analysiert die kooperative Produktion von Gegenexpertise und die Schaffung von „energy citizenship“ in den beiden europäischen Ländern, die mutmaßlich über die größten Schiefergasvorkommen verfügen: Polen und Frankreich. Aus dieser Analyse geht hervor, dass Besorgnis über die Störung des Nahrungsmittel-Wasser-Energie-Nexus aufgrund einer möglichen Verschmutzung durch industrielle Aktivitäten im Vordergrund stand. Der Informationsaustausch zwischen Aktivistengruppen und spezialisierten NGOs sowie zwischen Aktivistengruppen in verschiedenen europäischen Orten ermöglichte die Entstehung einer transnationalen, wissenschaftsbasierten Anti-Fracking-Bewegung. (shrink)

Ausgehend von den zwei polnischen programmatischen Aufsätzen über die Wissenschaftswissenschaft und der durch sie hervorgerufenen Bewegung des "wissenschaftswissenschaftlichen Kreises" werden die Hauptvertreter und Institutionen, Konferenzen und Symposien, Veröffentlichungen und Bibliotheken nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg genannt. Abschließend kennzeichnet der Autor Schulung und Fortbildung sowie die gegenwärtigen organisatorischen Tendenzen.

Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt einen Versuch dar, Entstehung und Funktionsweise des sozialistischen Realismus in jeweils spezifischen politischen und kulturellen Kontexten zu analysieren und zu beschreiben. Eine auf den Vergleich von Prozessen und Mechanismen ästhetischer Kanonbildung in der DDR und in Polen gerichtete Perspektive erlaubt nicht nur, die Dynamik von Handlungen und Vorgängen, die sich auf die offizielle Literatur- und Kunstdoktrin bezogen, in ihrer Gleichzeitigkeit und Interferenz zu erfassen. Indem sie den "sozialistischen Realismus" als ein Normierungssystem betrachtet, dessen Beschreibungen den (...) Anspruch der politischen Eliten auf die Regulierung aller gesellschaftlichen Bereiche sichtbar macht, versucht sie zugleich, den Vermittlungszusammenhang von gesellschaftlicher Entwicklung, Kulturpolitik und literarischem resp. literaturbezogenen Handeln aufzuzeigen. (shrink)

Wenn man das Bild eines modernen Polen aufzeichnen will, dann scheint es sinnvoll zu sein, aufzuzeigen, welche Einstellung ein modemer Durchschnittspole zu drei gesellschaftlich-moralischen Werten hat: zu der persönlichen Würde, zu der Wahrheit, zum Eigentum und zur Arbeit. Es ist allgemein bekannt, daß in der Nachkriegsgeschichte unseres Volkes das Jahr 1989 eine deutliche Zäsur darstellt: das 45 Jahre lang unbeschränkt herrschende kommunistische Regime wurde gestürzt, und an seiner Stelle wurde die liberal-demokratische Gesellschaftsordnung eingeführt. Das war kein ausschließlich ökonomisch-politisches Ereignis, (...) Auch das weltanschaulich-ideologische Klima der polnischen Kultur und Wissenschaft hat eine radikale Veränderung erfahren. Unbestreitbar ist für dieses Klima ein allgemeines Merkmal charakteristisch: uneingeschränkte Gedanken- und Redefreiheit. In dieser Hinsicht stehen die zwei Epochen i n diametralem Gegensatz zueinander. So ist es nicht verwunderlich, wenn das Bild des modernen Polen Züge sowohl „des Polen der kommunistischer Zeit" als auch „des Polen der postkommunistischen Zeit" aufweist. (shrink)

Wenn man das Bild eines modernen Polen aufzeichnen will, dann scheint es sinnvoll zu sein, aufzuzeigen, welche Einstellung ein modemer Durchschnittspole zu drei gesellschaftlich-moralischen Werten hat: zu der persönlichen Würde, zu der Wahrheit, zum Eigentum und zur Arbeit. Es ist allgemein bekannt, daß in der Nachkriegsgeschichte unseres Volkes das Jahr 1989 eine deutliche Zäsur darstellt: das 45 Jahre lang unbeschränkt herrschende kommunistische Regime wurde gestürzt, und an seiner Stelle wurde die liberal-demokratische Gesellschaftsordnung eingeführt. Das war kein ausschließlich ökonomisch-politisches Ereignis, (...) Auch das weltanschaulich-ideologische Klima der polnischen Kultur und Wissenschaft hat eine radikale Veränderung erfahren. Unbestreitbar ist für dieses Klima ein allgemeines Merkmal charakteristisch: uneingeschränkte Gedanken- und Redefreiheit. In dieser Hinsicht stehen die zwei Epochen i n diametralem Gegensatz zueinander. So ist es nicht verwunderlich, wenn das Bild des modernen Polen Züge sowohl „des Polen der kommunistischer Zeit" als auch „des Polen der postkommunistischen Zeit" aufweist. (shrink)