This is a review article of the second Festschrift for Iranist Philippe Gignoux. The contributions, which have generally been inspired by Gignoux’ own writings, are outlined and in many cases supplemented by the reviewer’s comments. Appendi- ces discuss the ritual phrase ēwēn mahr and the title Ohrmazd mowbed.

The Middle Persian literature from the early Islamic centuries frequently deals with practical theological issues faced by the Zoroastrian communities under foreign domination. Here, we present a number of questions regarding a Zoroastrian’s conversion to Islam and his subsequent repentance and desire to return to Zoroastrianism and answers given by ninth- and tenth-century Zoroastrian priestly authorities. It is shown how the priests cite ancient traditions found in the Pahlavi versions of Avestan texts to justify their answers, and then apply them (...) to the contemporary social reality. (shrink)

Iranisches Personennamenbuch, vol. 2: Mitteliranische Namen, fasc. 1: Iranische Personennamen in manichäischer Überlieferung. By Iris Colditz. Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophischhistorische Klasse, Sitzungsberichte, vol. 889. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2018. Pp. 716.

Iranisches Personennamenbuch. Vol. V/5a: Iranische Personennamen in der griechischen Literatur vor Alexander d. Gr. By RüdigerR Schmitt. Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophisch-historische Klasse. Sitzungsberichte, vol. 823. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2011. Pp. 431. €56.

This article examines the historical representation of the Jinshin Rebellion as a foundational event in the Nihon shoki and other eighth-century Japanese texts. Focusing on the differences between two alternative stories of Tenmu’s departure from the Ōmi capital to Yoshino, I argue that the Nihon shoki contains traces of several competing historical narratives that are the expression of a historical process: the political struggles over the historical record and the representation of Tenmu’s legitimacy in the early eighth century when the (...) Nihon shoki was being compiled. (shrink)

The Spirit of Zoroastrianism. Translated and edited by Prods Oktor Skjaervø. The Sacred Literature Series. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. Pp. xii + 270.

Pourquoi, alors qu'abondent sites de rencontre.

Nudging refers to the subtle design of the context of choice in a way that mobilises the unconscious mind and alters human behaviour predictably. Nudging has been criticised for entailing numerous practical and ethical problems, including manipulation, elitism and cultural insensitivity. To respond to the problems, participatory and deliberative procedures have been proposed that would enable the questioning of the power relations embedded in behavioural governance. Yet participation and deliberation are themselves characterised by unconscious behavioural influences. I argue that awareness (...) of the prevalence of unconscious behavioural influences in environmental governance is a prerequisite for tackling the complex practical and ethical issues of nudging. I show that unconscious behavioural influences permeate environmental governance and outline analytical approaches for revealing them. (shrink)

Environmental Ethics is a systematic account of values carried by the natural world, coupled with an inquiry into duties toward animals, plants, species, and ecosystems. A comprehensive philosophy of nature is illustrated by and integrated with numerous actual examples of ethical decisions made in encounters with fauna and flora, endangered species, and threatened ecosystems. The ethics developed is informed throughout by ecological science and evolutionary biology, with attention to the logic of moving from what is in nature to what ought (...) to be. The ethical theory is applied in detail to social, public, and business policy. Written in an engaging style, using diagrams and figures as well as numerous case studies, Environmental Ethics prods the reader into concrete application and invites reader participation in the ethical discussions. The ethics concludes by exploring the historical experiences of personal residence in a surrounding environment. Here is an adventure into what it means to live as responsible human beings in the community of life on Earth. In the series Ethics and Action, edited by Tom Regan. (shrink)