Environmental stewardship and the fate of the Brazilian Amazon : a case study of the Madeira Complex

The present paper analyzes a case study of the Madeira Complex, which plans to build two massive dams on the Amazon River\u27s largest tributary, to identify religious discourse in ecological debates. Three sides of the debate are investigated in order to analyze the various perspectives of proper human relations with the rest of nature that emerge. The Brazilian government and large corporations support the project as a necessary step to meet future national energy needs, the indigenous groups settled in federal territories that are directly affected by the environmental impact of the project and have mixed opinions, and environmentalist organizations starkly opposed to the project because of its impact on the environment. Each perspective reflects a Christian model of stewardship, where humans are responsible for the management of the rest of nature, and even the indigenous worldview adapts this dominant perspective in order to gain visibility in the debate. This debate reveals how the stewardship model can be a subtle form of neo-colonization of indigenous people and of ecosystems

Bakhtin’s philosophy for education: Pedagogy of aesthetics and dialogism

This thesis is an attempt to analyze the philosophical ideas of Mikhail Bakhtin from the point of view of their possible implementation in educational practices. The first chapter examines the philosophy of Bakhtin\u27s aesthetics, which postulate that the perception of the surrounding world is possible through non-rational methods of phenomenological and hermeneutic reflections. Particular attention is paid to Bakhtin’s understanding of the process of cognition, where a human is presented in his/her holistic subjective being. According to Bakhtin, this idea permits the usage of subjective cognitive processes in objective reality only through an individually responsible act. The second chapter deals with the possible implementation of the Bakhtinan dialogic philosophy in the theory of knowledge. An attempt is made to trace the understanding of the essence of dialogism from the phenomenological premise that any consciousness is a text that includes the cognizer in a situation of aesthetic understanding and, as the result of such participatory thinking, triggers the mechanism of an internal dialogue. The balancing correlation between the idea of “dialogic” and the idea of “answerability” as part of the general life experience is also explored. The third chapter examines Bakhtin’s architectonics as a specific strategic tool, which allows for optimizing and effectively carrying out the many interrelationships of the participating in many educational processes. Additionally, Bakhtin’s concepts of chronotope and nonalibi in existence are considered as categories of theoretical cognition and phenomena that can help better comprehend the truth, especially in post-modern educational conditions. Together with Bakhtin\u27s ideas, the ideas of cognition specific to the neo-Kantian, primarily German, philosophical schools, are explored as well as their influence on Bakhtin and his followers. I also include some memories from my own teaching experience, which I collected for over 25 years of teaching foreign languages from K-12 to the university level

Model and context in the Mediterranean basin

The intention of this thesis is to bring a realistic rethinking and test on actual facts and specific conditions of architectural practices in modern period with the aim of discovering the fundamental but rarely mentioned qualities that create the complexities and contradictions in the relationship between architectural form and place. The idea of emphasizing two terms, Model and Context, is to propose two concepts that stand for two characteristics that respectively similar with the meaning of ideology and realism. The whole phrase, "model and context", demonstrates the interest particularly in the discussing the relationship between those two, which is represented in the way of architectural intervention. Generally speaking, architectural interventions follow the way of staying in between, or in mutual, of those theoretical extremes, and that initiates the intent of this thesis to analyze this ambiguous status of this in between, between ideal and realistic. However, to use the new object to illustrate the characteristic of model is not appropriate and precise, the term model in the thesis represents a synonym meaning of a mental image that comes out from the intelligent storage of an architectural brain. The architectural intervention is the process that to apply the metaphorical emergence of model into the context of the site by means of modification and compromising. lf the aim of architectural design is to create art into the scenes presented by circumstances, or to fit and tally model to the mise en scène granted by context, to accomplish this aim, involves not only the pairing of designer's proper ideas with his previous decisions, modus, standardized orders, individual's manners, etc. but also the adjustment and attunement of those ideas to the particularity of place. So there is tension lying in the contradiction and confliclion between ideology and reality, and it is not meant to be overcome in a perfect blending of one with the other; instead, the contradiction indicates the way architecture use its separate mean to reveal the tacit or consistency of the pregiven context. This way of intervention and revealing is not passive but productive, not conforming to what is given but augmenting it and this productive way of how Mediterranean architecture act to its context is what this thesis all about. And the scope of the thesis is bounded in the Mediterranean Basin which has an addition restriction on the area of the north coastal shore of the western Mediterranean Sea is because, metaphorically, the architect who practiced in this specific region had been used to walk in design freedom that was sustained by the mixture of principles, knowledge, reflections and so on; and physically, the geographical and topographical qualities of this certain area have the most characteristic features on topography, layers, infrastructures , and so on, with their great benefits and values in the public spaces. Those challenges from the complexity of the natural environment and urban distribution offered architects the opportunities to face with problematic pre-conditions and actual difficulties on site. The seven ideas proposed in the way of seven journeys - belvedere, interface, landform, platonic center, urban panopticon, urban sequence, landmark - that illustrate a comprehensive landscape of thinking with perspective: what I wish to achieve is not an encyclopedia of containing a survey of every possible assumption to describe all the features of Mediterranean tools would have had, neither using several points of view to generalize a standardized manual without exceptions comprised by common rules and principles for that all the buildings have to obey when building in the Mediterranean Basin, but only to provide perspective thinking and understanding which could introduce the Mediterranean tools in an operative and systematic way.La intención de la tesis es llevar un replanteamiento realista y prueba en hechos reales y las condiciones específicas de los estudios de arquitectura en la época moderna, con la finalidad de descubrir las cualidades fundamentales, pero rara vez mencionan que crean las complejidades y contradicciones en la relación entre la forma arquitectónica y lugar. La idea de hacer hincapié en dos términos, Modelo y Contexto, es proponer dos conceptos que representan dos características que, respectivamente, similares con el significado de la ideología y el realismo, también, demuestra el interés en particular en la discusión de la relación entre los dos, que se representa en la forma de intervención arquitectónica. En términos generales, las intervenciones arquitectónicas siguen la forma de mantenerse en el medio, o de mutuo, de esos extremos teóricos, y que inicia el intento de esta tesis para analizar este estatus ambiguo de esta en el medio, entre el ideal y realista. El término modelo en la tesis representa un sinónimo significado de una imagen mental que sale desde el almacenamiento inteligente de un cerebro arquitectónico. La intervención arquitectónica es el proceso que se aplica a la aparición metafórica del modelo en el contexto del sitio por medio de la modificación y comprometedora. Si el objetivo del diseño arquitectónico es crear arte en los escenarios presentados por las circunstancias, o para adaptarse y el modelo de recuento para la puesta en escena otorgado por el contexto, para lograr este objetivo, implica no sólo la vinculación de las ideas propias del diseño con sus decisiones anteriores, modus, órdenes estandarizadas, etc., sino también la adaptación y armonización de esas ideas a la particularidad del lugar. Así que hay una tensión acostado en la contradicción y conflictividad entre la ideología y la realidad, y no está destinado a ser superado en una mezcla perfecta de uno con el otro, en cambio, la contradicción indica la forma en la arquitectura usar su media separada para revelar el tácito o consistencia del contexto de pre-determinado. Esta forma de intervención y reveladora no es pasiva, sino productivo, que no se ajusten a lo que se da, sino aumentándola y de esta manera productiva de cómo la arquitectura mediterránea acto de su contexto es lo que esta tesis trata. Y el alcance de la tesis está delimitada en la cuenca del Mediterráneo, que tiene una restricción, además de la zona de la orilla de la costa norte del Mediterráneo occidental se debe a que, metafóricamente, el arquitecto que se practica en esta región específica había sido usada para caminar en el diseño la libertad que fue sostenido por la mezcla de principios, conocimientos, reflexiones y así sucesivamente, y físicamente, las cualidades geográficas y topográficas de esta zona determinada tienen los rasgos más característicos de la topografía, las capas, las infraestructuras, etc., con sus grandes beneficios y valores en los espacios públicos. Esos desafíos de la complejidad del entorno natural y la distribución urbana ofrecen arquitectos la oportunidad de enfrentar con pre-condiciones problemáticas y dificultades reales en el lugar. Los siete ideas propuestas en el camino de siete jornadas-belvedere, interfaz, forma de relieve, centro platónico, panóptico urbano, secuencia urbana, sitio destacado-que ilustran un panorama integral de pensar con perspectiva: lo que quiero lograr no es una enciclopedia de contener un estudio de todas las posibles hipótesis para describir todas las características de las herramientas del Mediterráneo habría tenido, ni el uso de varios puntos de vista de generalizar un manual estandarizado y sin excepciones comprendidas en las normas y principios comunes para que todos los edificios tienen que obedecer a la hora de construir en la cuenca mediterránea, pero sólo para proporcionar el pensamiento y la comprensión que podría introducir las herramientas del Mediterráneo de forma operativa y sistemática la perspectiva

Endogenous development: a model for the process of man-environment transaction

Iran is currently subject to a number of adverse factors affecting good development in the built environment: population explosion, oil- dependent economy, finite resources, war and natural disasters, etc. The object of the study is to research a development model appropriate to the Country's needs for a proactive system of building environment. This model is not specific to Iran and, as the case studies and the discourse of the thesis indicate, is universal. However, the author suggests that the validity of development approaches will not be determined as a result of theoretical and ideological debate but in the realm of practice. Therefore, he has explored diverse ways in which professionals in the built environment can provide an analytical survey of the problems that beset them. An attempt has been made to bring these various elements into perspective and offer a model of 'endogenous development'.The process for achieving a viable, exciting and humane built environment is very complex and calls for contributions from many individuals and small multi -disciplinary groups. Beside professionals contributions (which is accomplished by deduction inference), there is a need for people's participation in design process (which is accomplished either by deduction or by abduction inferences). This participatory approach can also help shifting the process of design towards a wider domain that of the 'production process' (which is accomplished by abduction and induction inferences). Production process is the first paradigm of the model of endogenous development and is a manifestation of a feedback mechanism and acts as an open - ended living system. The second is 'supply- demand' paradigm which shows the relationships between the components of a system or between different systems in surface- structuresThis model is directed at society's development, not just its economic growth, but it does not preclude the possibility of such growth. The reduction of the problems' effect in an endogenous development is viewed more as a way of improving the quality of life than of increasing the standard of living. Nowadays, people are passive recipients in the consumer society and are totally dependent on others for their survival. This style of living is assumed to project an image of economic development and higher productivity, but there is a confrontation of preadjusted commodities which are the products of others. That is because the process of production is not natural (i.e. a closed loop cyclic process via feedback control). It is artificial (i.e. an open -loop linear process via a feed -forward control) which may not help satisfying the user's needs and wants entirely. In the built environment, the great majority have no say in the planning and design of their homes or places of work.Accordingly, endogenous development offers a framework within which the necessity of employing the people's creative power in building their environment is explained. It is based on the assumption that each individual and society's knowledge and experiences play a central and mediating role between professionals' perceptions of the environment and a series of preferences judgements or choices they might make towards and within that environment. Indigenous knowledge and cultural attributes of traditional societies and the organizational capabilities of traditional polities are essential in qualification of the development plans, which are also evaluated and assessed by this proposed framework

Robotics 2010

Without a doubt, robotics has made an incredible progress over the last decades. The vision of developing, designing and creating technical systems that help humans to achieve hard and complex tasks, has intelligently led to an incredible variety of solutions. There are barely technical fields that could exhibit more interdisciplinary interconnections like robotics. This fact is generated by highly complex challenges imposed by robotic systems, especially the requirement on intelligent and autonomous operation. This book tries to give an insight into the evolutionary process that takes place in robotics. It provides articles covering a wide range of this exciting area. The progress of technical challenges and concepts may illuminate the relationship between developments that seem to be completely different at first sight. The robotics remains an exciting scientific and engineering field. The community looks optimistically ahead and also looks forward for the future challenges and new development

Thinking outside the cage : sacrifice, equality and the plight of the animal

In this dissertation I illustrate the existence of anthropocentric social and legal configurations that are maintained through the embodiment of a belief system in which animals occupy a space as sacrificial beings, and philosophically examine and call into question the way in which we relate to animals within these schemata of domination. These sacrificial structures or arrangements contain animals in an identity which marks them as Other and I subsequently call for a problematisation and destabilisation of these structures. I employ a critical approach that seeks to move beyond the traditional rights-based approach that has come to dominate animal liberation discourse. Such an approach emphasises the significance of deconstruction for animal ethics and highlights the way in which the animal is subjected to marginalisation within anthropocentric schemata of domination. From this perspective, I argue that we need a deconstruction and ensuing displacement of the human (subject) as phallogocentric structure and that we need to embrace a mode of being that facilitates the development of an ethical relation to the animal Other. To this end, I advance veganism as a form of deconstruction and ethical way of being that allows us to criticise and resist repression of the animal Other. I also contemplate animal subjugation as a relation to the law and examine the ideological underpinnings of animal welfare theory and animal rights theory, the two most prominent theories aimed at transforming the human-animal relation. I proceed to critically engage with the philosophical presuppositions of animal rights theory as a possible foundation for animal liberation by addressing, like others have done before me, the historical and theoretical gaps of rights theory. I argue that animal rights theory invokes dichotomies and rigid identities that replicate and perpetuate anthropocentric relations of subordination by (paradoxically) confirming a certain interpretation of the human subject that lies at the very core of animal subjugation. I ultimately argue that such an approach must be rejected if we are to hold open the possibility of recalibrating the animal's status as sacrificial being.Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012.Jurisprudenceunrestricte

Problem space of modern society: philosophical-communicative and pedagogical interpretations. Part II

This collective monograph offers the description of philosophical bases of definition of communicative competence and pedagogical conditions for the formation of communication skills. The authors of individual chapters have chosen such point of view for the topic which they considered as the most important and specific for their field of study using the methods of logical and semantic analysis of concepts, the method of reflection, textual reconstruction and comparative analysis. The theoretical and applied problems of modern society are investigated in the context of philosophical, communicative and pedagogical interpretations

Aerospace medicine and biology: A cumulative index to the 1986 issues (supplement 293)

This publication is a cumulative index to the abstracts contained in the Supplements 281 through 292 of Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A Continuing Bibliography. It includes seven indexes - subject, personal author, corporate source, foreign technology, contract number, report number, and accession number

Olfaction As The Paradigm For Perceptual Philosophy

Plato wrote that smell is of a half-formed nature and that not much can be said about it, and Kant identified smell as the most ungrateful and most dispensable of the senses. Because contemporary philosophers share this distaste for smell perception, olfaction is often dismissed or ignored in philosophical accounts of perception. Instead, contemporary philosophy of perception is based almost exclusively on visual perception. The goal of this dissertation is to show that this focus on a single modality distorts our understanding of what perception is. I am not the first to realize the potential of opening up perceptual philosophy to the non-visual modalities. Bill Lycan asked how the philosophy of perception would be different if smell had been taken as a paradigm rather than vision. (Lycan 2000). In this dissertation, I will try to answer this question. My analysis will show that philosophy of perception would be very different, were it based on olfaction. Many of the most basic concepts of philosophy of perception are based on peculiarities of visual perception that do not generalize to other modalities

The machine refinement of raw graphic data for translation into a low level data base for computer aided architectural design (CAAD).

It is argued that a significant feature which acts as a disincentive against the adoption of CAAD systems by small private architectural practices, is the awkwardness of communicating with computers when compared with traditional drawing board techniques. This consideration, although not perhaps the dominant feature, may be mitigated by the development of systems in which the onus of communicating is placed on the machine, through the medium of an architect's sketch plan drawing. In reaching this conclusion, a design morphology is suggested, in which the creative generation of building designs is set in the context of the development of a 'data-base' of information which completely and consistently describes the architect's hypothetical building solution. This thesis describes research carried out by the author between 1981 and 1984, and describes the theory, development and application of algorithms to interpret architect's sketch plan drawings, and hence permit the encoding of building geometries for CAAD applications programs