Our Moral Relationship to Nature

In this paper I will explore the question of whether or not humans, as natural beings, are morally responsible for their actions in relation to nature. After all most natural beings, i.e. deer, wolves, whales, or even plants, regardless of their level of intelegence, are held responsible for their effect on the environment. When a rabbit population explodes and an ecosystem is sent into turmoil, we do not morally find fault with the rabbits. With this in mind I ask: why is it so different when humans send an ecosystem into distress? What is our moral relationship to nature? To answer this question we will examine first, in section two, the major ethical starting points of the ‘relational field, ’ a stance delveloped by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess that, in important ways, stems from Bhuddism. In section three, this will be contrasted with prevalent views espoused in the West, specifically Chritianity, neoliberalism, and longtermism. Capitalism and its troublesome environmental and existential impact is examined next in section four. Then, section five offers a critique of these explores the social, ecological, and ethical consequences of where such stances lead us. Finally, section six, briefly explores some practical options before summing key ideas in the conclusion

Population Ecology of Rocky Mountain Elk in the Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming

We conducted a 2-year (2012–2013) study of survival and cause–specific mortality using individually marked adult cow and neonate elk (Cervus elaphus) occupying the southwestern region of the Black Hills. We used known-fate analysis in Program MARK for survival analysis of adult cows and calves. We estimated survival and cause-specific mortality of 49 adult female elk over the 2 years of the study. Annual adult cow survival was 0.85 (95% CI = 0.72–0.87). We documented 12 mortalities with harvest (58.3%) and predation (16.6%) accounting for the majority of known mortalities. We captured and fit 71 neonates \u3c 10 days of age with expandable Very High Frequency (VHF) radiocollars during summer 2012 (n = 37) and 2013 (n = 34). Annual (12 month) survival of elk calves was 0.75 (95% CI = 0.61–0.84) while summer (20 weeks; 15 May–25 September) survival was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.68–0.88). Predation accounted for 87.5% of mortalities; remaining mortalities were from starvation (6.3%) and unknown (6. 3%) causes. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to collect 167,707 locations to determine home range, movement ecology, and macroscale resource selection of 48 adult cow elk. We documented elk using a variety of migration strategies (obligate migrator, resident, conditional migrator, disperser); the majority of the population (58%) was migratory. Spring migration distance travelled ranged from 2.45 km – 74.44 km (n = 42); fall migration distances ranged from 6.41km – 153.95 km (n = 46). We used 99% Brownian Bridge Movement Models to create seasonal and overall home ranges of adult cow elk. Mean overall home range size for conditional migrators was 249.28 km2 (SE = 28.60, n = 7, range = 233.75), for obligate migrant elk it was 227.18 km2 (SE = 13.94, n = 29, range = 346.83), and for resident elk it was 175.65 km2 (SE = 22.75, n = 11, range = 216.04). We used discrete choice models to determine resource selection at the macro-habitat scale of collared adult elk using ArcMap 10.1 data. Adult cow elk selected for open grassland/herbaceous areas and early successional forest areas close to forested edges at higher elevations. Our study showed that elk populations have the ability to thrive within an ecosystem with healthy predator populations

THE HOMOSEXUALITY DEBATE IN THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Religious Ethics, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, and The United Methodist Moral Landscape

Since the inclusion of a statement prohibiting "the practice of homosexuality" in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church in 1972, The United Methodist Church has vigorously debated homosexuality. As the debate has progressed, two distinct groupings of United Methodists have formed. One group has developed arguments for the preservation of The United Methodist Church's prohibitive stance against sexual relationships between persons of the same gender, while the other advocates a revision of The United Methodist Church's Discipline that would remove any statements referring negatively to homosexuality. This study provides one account of how two groups of United Methodists have "mapped" their moral landscape while engaged in the debate of homosexuality. These two groups each utilize the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience in similar yet distinct ways. In providing an analytical account of the mechanisms that guide United Methodist ethics, this study suggests the possibility that United Methodist teaching on homosexuality may change, arguing against Amanda Udis-Kessler (2008). This study employs what one might call an existential map model, allowing for a fresh evaluation of the method employed by United Methodists in ethical reasoning, and has value for religious studies by providing an approach to understanding how selected religious actors make ethical decisions. As Jonathan Z. Smith suggested in his article "Map is Not Territory (1978), it may be that another "map" is required; in this case one that better embraces the discrepancies that exist between United Methodist pronouncements on sexuality and the lived experience of United Methodists. This account also has practical utility for The United Methodist Church, as it is a comparative study of the views expressed in Sample and DeLong (2000) and Dunnam and Malony (2003). At present these two works represent the two main lines of argument regarding this issue in The United Methodist Church

The Rearming of Germany 1950-1954: A Linchpin in the Political Evolution of Europe

In retrospect, it appears that the rearmament of the Federal Republic of Germany has been the linchpin in the political evolution of postwar Europe. The alternative might have found an isolated Germany turning to the Soviet bloc

The tensions of deepfakes

In recent years, deepfakes have become part and parcel of contemporary algorithmic culture. It is regularly claimed that they have the potential to introduce novel modes of societal disruption, violence, and harm. Yet, over-emphasising the power of deepfakes risks occluding frictions, struggles, and logics that already persist in the digital landscape. Arguing for a conceptualisation of deepfakes as an assemblage of differential tensions in society, we explore how they represent both a rupture and a continuation of the variegated politics of the image in the social world. The paper analyses the tensions of deepfakes through three distinct case studies: bodies, politics, and ideas of objectivity. Ultimately, we argue that the tensions and ethicopolitical implications of deepfakes are not reducible to a problem that can be solved through a logic of algorithmic detection and verification

Intelligent Engine Systems: Acoustics

An extensive study of new fan exhaust nozzle technologies was performed. Three new uniform chevron nozzles were designed, based on extensive CFD analysis. Two new azimuthally varying variants were defined. All five were tested, along with two existing nozzles, on a representative model-scale, medium BPR exhaust nozzle. Substantial acoustic benefits were obtained from the uniform chevron nozzle designs, the best benefit being provided by an existing design. However, one of the azimuthally varying nozzle designs exhibited even better performance than any of the uniform chevron nozzles. In addition to the fan chevron nozzles, a new technology was demonstrated, using devices that enhance mixing when applied to an exhaust nozzle. The acoustic benefits from these devices applied to medium BPR nozzles were similar, and in some cases superior to, those obtained from conventional uniform chevron nozzles. However, none of the low noise technologies provided equivalent acoustic benefits on a model-scale high BPR exhaust nozzle, similar to current large commercial applications. New technologies must be identified to improve the acoustics of state-of-the-art high BPR jet engines

Promissory Note, 30 May 1844

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_b/1088/thumbnail.jp

A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF THE TAKE-OFF PHASE IN BELOW-KNEE AMPUTEE HIGH JUMP

An analysis of below-knee amputee take-off technique was performed on two athletes competing in the high jump finals of the 2004 Paralympic Games. Two digital video cameras were used to film the event with the data later digitised and reconstructed using standard 3-0 OLT procedures. Some similarities with non-amputee high jump technique were noted in that centre of mass height was low at touch-down (TO), there was a similar reported magnitude of negative vertical velocity at TO, and most of the vertical velocity generated occurred in the first half of the take-off phase. However, both below-knee amputee athletes exhibited a slower horizontal approach velocity, a lower positive vertical take-off velocity, a more upright leg position at touch-down and a greater range of motion of the hip throughout the take-off phase compared to what is known about non-amputee high jump technique. These differences may be associated with taking off from the prosthetic limb on the last stride of approach. Understanding why these differences occur has implications for coaching and improving technique

ECU-IoFT: A dataset for analysing cyber-attacks on internet of flying things

There has been a significant increase in the adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics project-based learning. However, the risks that education providers place their student and staff under is often unknown or undocumented. Low-end consumer drones used within the education sector are vulnerable to state-of-the-art cyberattacks. Therefore, datasets are required to conduct further research to establish cyber defenses for UAVs used within the education sector. This paper showcases the development of the ECU-IoFT dataset, documenting three known cyber-attacks targeting Wi-Fi communications and the lack of security in an affordable off-the-shelf drone. At present, there are no publicly available labeled datasets that reflect cyberattacks on the Internet of Flying Things (IoFT). The majority of the publicly available network traffic datasets are emulated and do not reflect the scenarios/attacks from a real test setup. This dataset will be beneficial for both cybersecurity researchers to develop defense strategies and UAV manufacturers to design more secure products. In the future, endeavors will be taken to incorporate newer attacks and create datasets appropriate for big data analysis

Dissipation and mixing during the onset of stratification in a temperate lake, Windermere

Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers and chains of temperature sensors were used to observe the spring transition to stable stratification over a 55 day period in a temperate lake. Observations of the flow structure were complemented by measurements of dissipation, based on the Structure Function method, near the lake bed and in the upper part of the water column. During complete vertical mixing, wind-driven motions had horizontally isotropic velocities with roughly equal barotropic and baroclinic kinetic energy. Dissipation was closely correlated with the wind-speed cubed, indicating law of the wall scaling, and had peak values of ~1 x 10-5.5 W kg-1 at 10 m depth during maximum wind forcing (W~ 15 m s-1). As stratification developed, the flow evolved into a predominantly baroclinic regime dominated by the first mode internal seiche, with root mean square (rms) axial flow speeds of ~2-3 cm-1; ~ 2.5-times the transverse component. At 2.8 m above the bed, most of the dissipation occurred in a number of strong maxima coinciding with peaks of near-bed flow. In the pycnocline, dissipation was low most of the time, but with pronounced maxima (reaching ~1 x 10-5 W kg-1) closely related to the local velocity shear. The downward diffusive heat flux across the pycnocline over 27.5 days accounted for ~ 70% of the temperature rise in the water column below. Total lake kinetic energy increased by a factor of 3 between mixed and stratified regimes, in spite of reduced wind forcing, indicating less efficient damping in stable conditions