The Transmission of Western Science Into China 1840-1900.

This thesis examines the process, practice and issues surrounding the transmission of Western science into China 1840-1900. It opens with a discussion of the previous (Jesuit) transmission of Western science, and the nature of the Chinese paradigms which the Jesuits tried to displace. The nineteenth-century Western chemical paradigms which were to be transmitted are then considered, together with the rapidly changing nature of the subject and the consequent problems for the translators and their readers. The context of the transmission in China is discussed, especially the nature of the kaozheng [evidential research] scholarly community in the Jiangnan region of China which, I hope to show, played an important role in the reception of science. The special problems of translation from Western languages into Chinese are then dealt with, including the transliteration of terms and the creation of new characters. Parallels are drawn with the methods of the Buddhist translators and of the early nineteenth-century Chinese geographers. There follow studies of the translation of chemical terminology, of a selection of important science textbooks, and of two Western agents of transmission, John Fryer and Calvin Mateer. The lives of Chinese scientists Li Shanlan, Xu Shou, Xu Jianyin and Hua Hengfang are studied, followed by a chapter on the new institutions which they and the Westerners created. The remarkably rich popular science literature such as Gezhi Huibian is then analysed, and conclusions drawn about the nature of 3 popular interest in science in this period. The intellectual impact of Western science in the last decade of the century is considered, especially the effects on the thinking of Tan Sitong and Kang Youwei. Finally, general conclusions are elaborated and the significance of the transmission is assessed

Ludotopia

Where do computer games »happen«? The articles collected in this pioneering volume explore the categories of »space«, »place« and »territory« featuring in most general theories of space to lay the groundwork for the study of spatiality in games. Shifting the focus away from earlier debates on, e.g., the narrative nature of games, this collection proposes, instead, that thorough attention be given to the tension between experienced spaces and narrated places as well as to the mapping of both of these

Ludotopia

Where do computer games »happen«? The articles collected in this pioneering volume explore the categories of »space«, »place« and »territory« featuring in most general theories of space to lay the groundwork for the study of spatiality in games. Shifting the focus away from earlier debates on, e.g., the narrative nature of games, this collection proposes, instead, that thorough attention be given to the tension between experienced spaces and narrated places as well as to the mapping of both of these

Descartes, Husserl and radical conversion

Phenomenology has been one of the most influential and far-reaching developments in 20th Century Philosophy and has had a great impact on the disciplines of philosophy of logic and math, theory of knowledge, and theory of meaning. The most profound influence on Edmund Husserl (1859 - 1938), the founder of phenomenology, was Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650), whose radical rethinking of philosophy’s overall project provided Husserl with both the historical and conceptual point of departure for his foundation of prima philosophia. Despite this explicit and well-known influence, there is no book- length study of their thematic parallels; numerous Journal articles focus almost entirely on the phenomenological reduction and, aside from this, are fairly unsatisfactory. The purpose of the present work is to elucidate systematic convergences (and divergences) between Descartes and Husserl throughout their respective philosophical developments. This comprises explication of several central topics: 1. The parallel between 17th C. skepticism, which Descartes attempted to overthrow, and 19th C. psychologism and relativism, which Husserl reacted against. 2. The striking similarity at the level of formal ontology between Descartes' simple and complex natures and Husserl's part-whole theory. 3. A clarification of the Cartesian sense of methodical doubt and how Husserl's mistaking of this shaped the initial formulation of the reduction. 4. Convergence in the maturation of the primitive notion of intuition as "clear and distinct seeing" and "seeing of essences" for both thinkers. 5. An analysis of the modes of methodical doubt, in terms of steps in the cognitive act of doubting, and not merely in the content of that which is doubted. 6. Far-reaching divergences in that Descartes was motivated to establish with scientific certainly an entirely new world of being, whereas Husserl was concerned to disclose an entirely new sense of the world. As such, thematic convergences between Descartes and Husserl are not due to accidental intersections of interest, nor are they curiosities of the comparative method in historical research. These parallels are intrinsic and systematic due to an overarching congruence in their visions of the starting point, methodological procedures, and reaction to pseudo-scientific matters-of-fact in the founding of a genuine philosophical project

Understanding Whitehead

Originally published in 1962. The central aim of this book is to discuss the development of Alfred North Whitehead's thought and to underscore how it is unique. The book collects nine essays written by Victor Lowe originally published between 1941 and 1961. The essays have been revised for inclusion in this volume

An approach to spatial planning in Southern Africa with particular reference to Transkei's north-east region.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal. Durban, 1986.The aim of this research was to investigate how spatial planning could contribute to development in the peripheral regions of Southern Africa. It was undertaken at a time when conventional regional planning was under attack from several quarters and the very relevance of planning at regional scale was being questioned. This state of flux in regional planning doctrine and practice presented an opportune setting to establish a method embracing the most relevant components of the debate. The proposed approach to spatial planning took into account the main parameters determining the context within which both planning and development can occur in Southern Africa's peripheral regions. It was tested in a typical environment - that of north-eastern Transkei. The proposed methodology places particular emphasis on the integrative role of planning (sectoral and spatial) at regional scale and on the means of implementation. It was used to draw up a Spatial Development Plan for the region and to set the implementation process in motion. The impact of both the plan and the process were monitored and evaluated after two years. With some refinements, the methodology proved to be an effective means of planning for development and initiating a sequence of actions geared towards development in the region. The conclusions were that spatial planning has a role to play in increasing the productive capacities and improving the living conditions of people in peripheral regions. However, this role is constrained both by the structural dimensions of underdevelopment in these areas (which spatial planning alone cannot resolve), and by the extent of which planners are able to remain involved in the implementation of their plans as part of a continuous development process. It is apparent that more attention needs to be paid to consultation, communication and community liaison than to the technical side of planning. Thus planners need not only to return to the fields of procedural and substantive theory to bolster their doctrine; but they also need to adopt the approach of McGee's "dirty boots brigade"

Law, technology and water conflicts in developing societies: a case study of tank systems in Tamil Nadu

The study examines the relationship between law, technology and water conflicts from colonial days to the present in traditional (water) tank systems in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tanks are man-made water systems developed for irrigation and many other purposes in semi-arid areas. The thesis adopts a historical approach to study the development of law, particularly property rights, and takes an empirical approach to investigate the tank conflicts. Archival documents on irrigation development, Case laws, Focus Group Discussions, Open ended Interviews and Field visits to selected tank chains are used as source material for the discussion. Case studies of conflicts are described and analyzed at three levels - Vaigai river basin for a macro level, Kothai Anicut system in Cauvery basin for a meso level, and twenty other interconnected tanks for a micro-level. The thesis deviates from the conventional understanding that tanks as traditional systems as simple and local technologies but considers them to be complex. It argues that the use of commonly held systems such as tanks within the colonial and post colonial laws as state ownership has been the source of many conflicts. In particular, it finds most tank conflicts are a product of progressive and absolute state control over water and the systems established using colonial land revenue administrative law. The law continues to treat tanks as pieces of landed property held by state and the individuals rather than as technology systems that presupposed the regime of property rights introduced after the colonial times. The modern interventions in water including the reservoir building, and altering the hydraulics of rivers and streams aggravate tank conflicts and lead to their further detriment. The study brings the focus to ground realities, and offers new perspectives on understanding tank systems in dynamic ways

Florencio Segura: Communicating Quechua Evangelical Theology Via Hymnody in Southern Peru

Florencio Segura, bilingual in Spanish and Quechua languages, belonged to the Andean culture of southern Peru spanning most of the 20th century. A convert to evangelical Christianity, Segura chose to identify with the Quechua world. The inculturation of the Bible into his Quechua milieu, interpreted from an evangelical perspective, was in large part due to his work. He used his own original hymns to teach the message in an oral culture, drawing on a rich legacy of traditions. He recognised that sung theology was the quickest way for the Quechua to incorporate a heart theology into their evangelical communities. The thesis focuses on Segura and his hymnody. It examines the man in his culture, his appropriation of that culture and his dismissal of certain areas of it, his use of Quechua including his interpolation of Spanish, and his teaching methods. It is a thesis about missiological communication and the medium of hymns as interpreters in that process. Chapter one examines how the Quechuas view their world in order to give the cultural framework for Segura’s biblical interpretation via hymns. Chapter two reviews the historical framework that influenced Segura - particularly the role of evangelical missionaries and the reasons for his commitment to evangelical rather than Roman Catholic Christianity. Chapter three undertakes an examination of Segura’s use of the biblical narrative, comparing and contrasting it with parallel literature in the Inca and Roman Catholic tradition and analysing the theology of the hymnody. The focus on the content of Segura’s hymnody allows the conclusion to reflect on the theological significance of Segura’s work and its implications for the continuing development of Andean hymnody

Reading the City. Developing Urban Hermenutics

Städte bezeugen in vielfältiger Weise soziale Gegebenheiten und kulturelle Prak- tiken. Sie schreiben lokale Traditionen fort, erzeugen Neues und dienen zugleich als Projektionsfläche von Wünschen und Hoffnungen. Städte sind Landschaften aus Zeichen. Man kann diese dekodieren, mithin lesen. Der interdisziplinäre Band reflektiert die Lesbarkeit des Städtischen und versammelt Beispiele urbaner Hermeneutik aus der Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaft, der Literatur-, Medien- und Filmwissenschaft und der Architektur- und Städtebautheorie.Cities bear witness to social reality and cultural practices in a variety of ways. They create and re-create local traditions, they generate new things and, moreover, they provide a surface for the projection of hopes and desires. Cities are landscapes made up of signs. As such, they can be decoded and read. This quality of the urban, its readability, provides this interdisciplinary volume with its focus. It brings together contributions to urban hermeneutics from social sciences, cultural studies, literature, film and media studies as well as approaches rooted in theories of architecture and urban planning