Reading Scepticism Historically. Scepticism, Acatalepsia and the Fall of Adam in Francis Bacon

The first part of this paper will provide a reconstruction of Francis Bacon’s interpretation of Academic scepticism, Pyrrhonism, and Dogmatism, and its sources throughout his large corpus. It shall also analyze Bacon’s approach against the background of his intellectual milieu, looking particularly at Renaissance readings of scepticism as developed by Guillaume Salluste du Bartas, Pierre de la Primaudaye, Fulke Greville, and John Davies. It shall show that although Bacon made more references to Academic than to Pyrrhonian Scepticism, like most of his contemporaries, he often misrepresented and mixed the doctrinal components of both currents. The second part of the paper shall offer a complete chronological survey of Bacon’s assessment of scepticism throughout his writings. Following the lead of previous studies by other scholars, I shall support the view that, while he approved of the state of doubt and the suspension of judgment as a provisional necessary stage in the pursuit of knowledge, he rejected the notion of acatalepsia. To this received reading, I shall add the suggestion that Bacon’s criticism of acatalepsia ultimately depends on his view of the historical conditions that surround human nature. I deal with this last point in the third part of the paper, where I shall argue that Bacon’s evaluation of scepticism relied on his adoption of a Protestant and Augustinian view of human nature that informed his overall interpretation of the history of humanity and nature, including the sceptical schools

Coastal Tourism Development: Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development

The paper is based on the preparation by the author and two colleagues1 of a report on principles of sustainable development in Australia\u27s coastal zone, with a specific focus on the tourism industry. That report, prepared with funding under Australia\u27s Coastal Action Program, and following public comment and revision, has recently been published by the Australian Government under the title Coastal Tourism: A Manual for Sustainable Development (Commonwealth Coastal Action Program, 1997). The coast is an important part of the tourism industry\u27s attraction and resource base in Australia and many other countries. It is concluded that sustainable development and use of the coastal zone is crucial to the long-term profitability of the tourism industry and the quality of life of local citizens. The stage of the development process – from feasibility to operation and management – are each considered of importance to sustainable tourism developments. A number of guiding principles for such developments are spelled out in the paper, and issue such as self-regulation and the reasons that developers should consider sustainability in their activities are addressed. Additionally, reference is made to case-studies of sustainable tourism development that have occurred in Australia in recent years, and the lessons from those developments described. The key recommendation arising is that a valuable contribution to protecting coastal assets – assets upon which the tourism industry and the community depend – will arise from the formulation of environmental, social and economic criteria that developers can consider in planning, constructing and operating tourism ventures in the coastal zone

Sustainable Management of Mrine Tourism: Some Economic Considerations *)

Marine tourism is a rapidly growing phenomenon world-wide. Concerns arise that important marine resources, such as coral reefs, are used sustainably for recreation and other pursuits. A number of possible management strategies exist that might contribute to such result should considers the followings: property-rights;user-pays;regulation;education and code of conduct;permanent mooring;socio-economic research. It is also clear that no one management strategy will ensure that Indonesia's significant coral reef and other marine are conserved and used in sustainable fashion. Rather, a judicious blend of the use of economic instruments and concepts, regulation, education, and “site-hardening” (e.g. by use mooring) is required to ensure that marine tourism is sustainable