L'objet des droits constitutionnels à l'égalité

This article is exclusively devoted to enquiring into the purpose of equality rights guaranteed by sections 15 and 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. By first retracing the concept of equality from both a legal and philosophical perspective, the author comes to the conclusion that the juxtaposition of values of human dignity and social justice has brought on the most powerful change in the concept of equality. By invoking these two values in unison, authoritative writings, legislators and the courts have on the one hand, come to recognize the insufficiency of formal legal equality and thereby integrate the principle of substantial equality and have, on the other, conceived equality not merely with regard to individuals alone, but also by taking into account groups that society tends to neglect or dominate due to the existence of tenacious prejudices. The author then specifically examines the Canadian legal and socioeconomic context in search of the purpose of equality rights enshrined in the Charter of rights and shows that the addition of section 28 and the enumeration of grounds of discrimination to equality rights in s.s. 15(1) has as its purpose to provide additional protection to women and members of certain underprivileged groups. This special protection is indicative, in the author's view, of a clear constitutional choice in favour of a substantial conception of equality taking into account the collective dimension of discrimination

Le Régime québécois d’assurance parentale : un système discriminatoire à l’endroit des enfants adoptés

Le Régime québécois d’assurance parentale (RQAP) crée une distinction dans l’attribution du nombre de semaines assurées selon que le congé est demandé par des parents biologiques ou des parents adoptants. Ces derniers bénéficient d’un congé parental nettement plus court au moment de l’arrivée de leur enfant, l’objectif du législateur étant vraisemblablement de tenir compte de la réalité de la grossesse et de l’accouchement. Se peut-il toutefois que le régime occulte la situation des familles adoptantes et les difficultés qui leur sont propres, au point d’être discriminatoire ? Afin de répondre à cette question, les auteurs proposent de déplacer le foyer d’analyse traditionnellement placé sur les droits des parents pour le tourner vers les droits et l’intérêt supérieur des enfants. Considérant le vécu et les besoins particuliers des enfants adoptés, ils démontrent que le RQAP, comme les conventions collectives qui reproduisent une distinction similaire, ne résisterait pas à un examen judiciaire fondé sur le droit à l’égalité garanti par les chartes. En conséquence, les auteurs proposent une nouvelle façon de concevoir le régime plus respectueuse des droits de tous.Abstract: The Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) provides for a benefit period that varies according to whether the applicants are the biological parents or the adoptive parents of the child. Adoptive parents are entitled to a significantly shorter parental leave upon their child’s arrival. It would appear that the legislative intent is to take into account distinguishing factors based on pregnancy and delivery. Couldn’t one argue that the QPIP overlooks the situation of adoptive families and their specific challenges to the extent where it might be deemed discriminatory? To address this question, the writers suggest shifting the analytic focal point away from the traditional focus on the rights of the parents, to the rights and best interests of the children. Considering the personal history and specific needs of adopted children, the writers argue that the QPIP, like all collective agreements that set out similar distinctions, would not withstand a legal challenge based on the right to equality guaranteed under the Canadian and Quebec Charters. Consequently, the writers come up with a proposal that takes into account the rights of all stakeholders

Le parcours philosophique de Henry Corbin phénoménologie-herméneutique et philosophie prophétique

Is Henry Corbin a philosopher? According to our research, we are obliged to answer in the affirmative, as he says of himself:"Indeed, I am not nor a germanist, not even an orientalist but a philosopher pursuing his quest wherever the spirit guides him." But how can one understand and categorize a philosopher whose quest is guided by the spirit? Henry Corbin has developed what we must call a"prophetic philosophy," and by exploring his biography and youthful influences, namely Heidegger and Hamann, we can lay the foundation of its phenomenologico-hermeneutical method. This research ends with the exploration of the space (imaginal world) and of the organ of knowledge (active imagination) which make us pay attention to the prophetic philosophy of Henry Corbin: a world in which the theophany, the mystical epics, and the visions of mystics and theosophists come about

Le rôle de l’imagination dans l’expérience spirituelle d’Ibn al-ʿArabī et de Jakob Böhme

Henry Corbin a écrit qu’« un Maître Eckhart et un Jacob Boehme eussent parfaitement compris Ibn ʿArabî, et réciproquement. » Mais comment assurer ce dialogue et cette compréhension réciproque pressentie par Henry Corbin? Cette recherche porte essentiellement sur les conditions de possibilités de ce dialogue, puisque la comparaison entre Ibn al-ʿArabī et Böhme n’est encore qu’à ses balbutiements. En choisissant le prisme de l’imagination, le but est double : pouvoir traiter de manière non réductrice les phénomènes spirituels en parcourant et analysant la logique spécifique de l’imagination ; et, sous l’égide de la hiérohistoire, explorer le rôle de l’imagination dans la métaphysique et l’éthique d’Ibn al-ʿArabī et de Böhme. Il s’agit donc d’essayer de lire Ibn al-ʿArabī et Böhme comme ils lisaient eux-mêmes le Livre révélé de leur tradition respective. Au final, il appert que le théophanisme caractéristique tant de la métaphysique d’Ibn al-ʿArabī que de celle de Böhme est une riche terre d’accueil de l’imagination et de l’imaginal. Et que, si la comparaison strictu sensu entre Ibn al-ʿArabī et Böhme est impossible, l’esprit comparatif et transdisciplinaire de cette recherche, ainsi que la méthode phénoménologico-herméneutique, offrent de nouvelles avenues de réappropriation pour l’ensemble des phénomènes spirituels.Henry Corbin wrote that a “Meister Eckhart and Jacob Boehme would fully understand Ibn ʿArabî, and vice versa.” But how can we ensure this dialogue and mutual understanding anticipated by Henry Corbin? This research is essentially on the conditions of possibilities of this dialogue, especially because the comparison between Ibn al-ʿArabī and Böhme is still in its infancy. By choosing the prism of the imagination, the goal is twofold: approach spiritual phenomena in a non-reductive way by browsing and analyzing the specific logic of imagination; and, under the auspices of the concept of hierohistory, explore the role of imagination in the metaphysics and ethics of Ibn al-ʿArabī and Böhme. It is therefore an effort to read Ibn al-ʿArabī and Böhme as they read themselves the revealed book of their respective tradition. Finally, it appears that the theophanism characteristic of the metaphysics of both Ibn al-ʿArabī and Böhme is a rich haven for imagination and imaginal. If the comparison between Ibn al-ʿArabī and Böhme is stricto sensu impossible, the comparative and transdisciplinary spirit of this research, as well as its the phenomenological-hermeneutic method, opens up new avenues of re-appropriation for all spirituals phenomena

Immersive virtual environments and embodied agents for e-learning applications

Massive Open Online Courses are a dominant force in remote-learning yet suffer from persisting problems stemming from lack of commitment and low completion rates. In this initial study we investigate how the use of immersive virtual environments for Power-Point based informational learning may benefit learners and mimic traditional lectures successfully. We examine the role of embodied agent tutors which are frequently implemented within virtual learning environments. We find similar performance on a bespoke knowledge test and metrics for motivation, satisfaction, and engagement by learners in both real and virtual environments, regardless of embodied agent tutor presence. Our results raise questions regarding the viability of using virtual environments for remote-learning paradigms, and we emphasise the need for further investigation to inform the design of effective remote-learning applications

Halophilic Diversity in the Salton Sea: Identifying Resiliency and Abundance in Extremophiles Across Salt Gradients

The Salton Sea is a body of water located in Southern California and is the largest lake by surface area in the state. The Sea continues to experience significant environmental changes—including increasing salinity—due to evaporative loss consequent to major changes in water management and agricultural runoff. To better understand the impact of increasing salinity on microbial communities, this study evaluates the effects of salinity on the growth of halophilic bacteria in the Salton Sea. Bacterial growth in media containing salt concentrations of 5%, 8%, and 11% was evaluated. Serially diluted samples were evaluated to determine the Most Probable Number (MPN) for each salt concentration. The 5% and the 8% salt concentrations shared the same results with values of 24,000 MPN/g while the 11% salt concentration had a value of 38,000 MPN/g. This research reveals the microbial response to different salinity levels in the Salton Sea and provides valuable insights into the potential consequences of climate change and altered water management practices in the Salton Sea. Understanding the factors influencing halophilic bacterial growth in hypersaline environments is an integral component of future conservation efforts in the Salton Sea

Compensating for Distance Compression in Audiovisual Virtual Environments Using Incongruence

A key requirement for a sense of presence in Virtual Environments(VEs) is for a user to perceive space as naturally as possible.One critical aspect is distance perception. When judgingdistances, compression is a phenomenon where humanstend to underestimate the distance between themselves andtarget objects (termed egocentric or absolute compression),and between other objects (exocentric or relative compression).Results of studies in virtual worlds rendered throughhead mounted displays are striking, demonstrating significantdistance compression error. Distance compression is a multisensoryphenomenon, where both audio and visual stimuliare often compressed with respect to their distances from theobserver. In this paper, we propose and test a method forreducing crossmodal distance compression in VEs. We reportan empirical evaluation of our method via a study of 3Dspatial perception within a virtual reality (VR) head mounteddisplay. Applying our method resulted in more accurate distanceperception in a VE at longer range, and suggests a modificationthat could adaptively compensate for distance compressionat both shorter and longer ranges. Our results havea significant and intriguing implication for designers of VEs:an incongruent audiovisual display, i.e. where the audio andvisual information is intentionally misaligned, may lead tobetter spatial perception of a virtual scene

An Approach to Reducing Distance Compression in Audiovisual Virtual Environments

Perception of distances in virtual reality (VR) is compressed: objects are consistently perceived as closer than intended. Although this phenomenon has been well documented, it is still not fully understood or defined with respect to the factors influencing such compression. This is a problem in scenarios where veridical perception of distance and scale is essential. We report the results of an experiment investigating an approach to reducing distance compression in audiovisual VR based on a predictive model of distance perception. Our test environment involved photorealistic 3D images captured through stereo photography, with corresponding spatial audio rendered binaurally over headphones. In a perceptual matching task, participants positioned an auditory stimulus with respect to the corresponding visual stimulus. We found a high correlation between the distance perception predicted by our model and how participants perceived the distance. Through automated manipulation of the audio and visual displays based on the model, our approach can be used to reposition auditory and visual components of a scene to reduce distance compression. The approach is adaptable to different environments and agnostic of scene content, and can be calibrated to individual observers

A Virtual Reality Application of the Rubber Hand Illusion Induced by Ultrasonic Mid-Air Haptic Stimulation

Ultrasonic mid-air haptic technologies, which provide haptic feedback through airwaves produced using ultrasound, could be employed to investigate the sense of body ownership and immersion in virtual reality (VR) by inducing the virtual hand illusion (VHI). Ultrasonic mid-air haptic perception has solely been investigated for glabrous (hairless) skin, which has higher tactile sensitivity than hairy skin. In contrast, the VHI paradigm typically targets hairy skin without comparisons to glabrous skin. The aim of this article was to investigate illusory body ownership, the applicability of ultrasonic mid-air haptics, and perceived immersion in VR using the VHI. Fifty participants viewed a virtual hand being stroked by a feather synchronously and asynchronously with the ultrasonic stimulation applied to the glabrous skin on the palmar surface and the hairy skin on the dorsal surface of their hands. Questionnaire responses revealed that synchronous stimulation induced a stronger VHI than asynchronous stimulation. In synchronous conditions, the VHI was stronger for palmar stimulation than dorsal stimulation. The ultrasonic stimulation was also perceived as more intense on the palmar surface compared to the dorsal surface. Perceived immersion was not related to illusory body ownership per se but was enhanced by the provision of synchronous stimulation