The Pygmalion-Galatea myth in relation to simulation scenarios in Star Trek

Star Trek has existed since 1966, with a total of 738 hours of viewing time. Like most science fiction, the series frequently alludes to religion or myth but censors such references for the modern world-view by sanitising them with scientific or scientific-sounding explanation. This paper illustrates the depiction of the Galatea-Pygmalion myth in the franchise and relates these to simulation scenarios.peer-reviewe

Systematic reviews from astronomy to zoology: myths and misconceptions

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Illusions for life: on the importance of illusions for our life and the role of cinema in creating these illusions

The relationship between art, illusion and reality has been part of philosophical debate for centuries. With the increasing use of digital technologies in modern cinema, this debate entered a new dimension. This thesis aims to discuss the notion of illusions as a system of stories and values that inspire a culture similar to other grand narratives, such as mythology or religion. Cinema thus becomes the postmodern 'mythmaking machine‘ par excellence in a world that has increasing difficulties in creating unifying concepts and positive illusions that can inspire a culture and give hope. I will argue that illusions have always been a crucial element of culture, and my hypothesis is that they are not necessarily a sign of people‘s naivety or unconscious manipulationas has often been argued but a conscious choice, deriving from a longing for positive inspiration. This longing is particularly strong in times of ideological crisis, when other institutions fail to provide relief and guidance. This seems to be emphasised by the fact that in the last decade, at a time of deep ideological crisis, mainstream cinema has seen a significant revival of grand mythic epics. The thesis focuses on three key aspects: the area of belief, illusion and the creation of myths; the relationship between realism and illusion; and the possibilities of modern cinema in relation to these aspects. I chose to base my research project on continental philosophy rather than classic film theory or analytic philosophy in order to stimulate a new debate in film studies and philosophy that links traditional aesthetic concepts with contemporary thoughts on society and cinema. To begin with I draw on theories by Nietzsche, Kracauer and Deleuzeto unravel the interesting similarities in their works, such as the redemptive capacities of art and the acknowledgement that illusion/art/cinema is always closely related to the state of the society that produces them. This is then applied to recent Hollywood epics, namely The Lord of the Rings (P. Jackson, 2001-04), Troy(W. Petersen, 2004) and Avatar (J. Cameron, 2009). Here I argue that rather than being mere escapism, mainstream cinemacan have an important function in providing postmodern culture with important illusions, which is significantly facilitated by new digital technologies.The thesis concludes that these technologies present new creative opportunities for filmmakers and philosophers alike

On Evolution of God-Seeking Mind: An Inquiry Into Why Natural Selection Would Favor Imagination and Distortion of Sensory Experience

The earliest known products of human imagination appear to express a primordial concern and struggle with thoughts of dying and of death and mortality. I argue that the structures and processes of imagination evolved in that struggle, in response to debilitating anxieties and fearful states that would accompany an incipient awareness of mortality. Imagination evolved to find that which would make the nascent apprehension of death more bearable, to engage in a search for alternative perceptions of death: a search that was beyond the capability of the external senses. I argue that imagination evolved as flight and fight adaptations in response to debilitating fears that paralleled an emerging foreknowledge of death. Imagination, and symbolic language to express its perceptions, would eventually lead to religious behavior and the development of cultural supports. Although highly speculative, my argument draws on recent brain studies, and on anthropology, psychology, and linguistics

Concepts of mediology as a synthetic science of XXI century

Concepts of mediology as new synthetic science of XXI century have been analyzed in the article. Research field of this science is relatively wide. It covers paths of media culture development in new cultural reality, the problems of media semiotics and, tasks of media policy and media management as well as perspectives of media education. Mediology is not dogmatic but dynamic rapidly developing science. Possibilities of it become wider due to technical progress and processes that go on in social and cultural sphere of the outside world. © 2015, Canadian Center of Science and Education. All rights reserved

Explaining Nuclear Rollback: Examining the Cessation of Nuclear Weaponization in Argentina and Brazil from 1964 - 1994

Seventy years after the first use of nuclear weapons in World War II, the proliferation of these apocalyptic munitions remains a key policy issue on the international stage. The available literature on nuclear proliferation suggests a strong correlation between the threat of rival a state seeking nuclear weapons and a state\u27s own decision to pursue its own nuclear weapons. Regional rivals Argentina and Brazil both initiated nuclear weapons programs and were also developing nuclear delivery systems; however, these countries were able to step out of this dyadic proliferation spiral and renounced their nuclear weapons programs. Often assumed a success of the burgeoning nonproliferation regime embodied by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, some scholars view Argentina and Brazil as boldly resistant to the aggressive posture of the extra-regional regime. Which International Relations (IR) theory is best suited to explain the proliferation outcomes of Argentina and Brazil? More specifically, were Argentina and Brazil\u27s nuclear proliferation decisions driven more by security, norms, or domestic politics? A case study of this dyad will be done using process tracing to determine which theory best supports the nuclear re-posturing of each country

Global vaccine equity demands reparative justice-not charity

By late April, more than 80% of the world’s COVID-19 vaccines had gone to people in wealthy countries, with just 0.3% to people in low-income countries.1 This reprehensible imbalance is no accident. High-income countries have used neocolonial negotiating power, global policy leverage and capital to procure enough doses to cover 245% of their citizens while leaving few doses for poorer countries.2 As a result, lower-income countries may not be able to vaccinate their populations until 2023.3 Such inequity is yet another example of how the interests of racial capitalism run roughshod over the golden rule of global solidarity—attend to the highest risk first.4 Currently, older and medically vulnerable individuals are dying from COVID-19 disproportionately in poor countries, while young, healthy individuals are getting vaccinated in wealthy ones.5 Vaccine apartheid is a not novel phenomenon. The notion that only certain corners of the world get to benefit from life-saving treatments is an everyday reality of a global health system driven by a capitalist, philanthropic model.6 7 But in times of crises—and as new variants threaten the vaccination plans of wealthy countries—these inequities and their solutions come to the forefront of global debate.8 Policy-makers in rich nations are aware of these issues. But the solutions they have proposed so far do nothing to address the underlying structural problems. They offer charitable donations and partial, temporary fixes that are designed to deflect the substantive demands for reform that global South countries are fighting for, including challenges to unethical intellectual property (IP) regimes.9 This approach will not work, because it is not designed to ‘work.’ If we want to end vaccine apartheid, we need to target the root causes of global health inequities. We need reparative justice. There are currently three approaches to reduce inequity in