Experiencing the Word of God: Reading as Wrestling

Analytic philosophers are generally advised to steer clear of the substantive use of literary tropes whose ‘semantic content outstrips their propositional content’ (Rea, 2009: 6). But this poses a problem for analytic theologians whose primary texts are beset by such literary devices. Can such material be usefully marshalled, or should it be left to one side, to remain unemployed by analytic theologians? In The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture Yoram Hazony offers what I take to be the most convincing argument to date that the entire biblical narrative (literary tropes and all) ought both to be read as philosophy and that the philosophical content contained in the biblical narrative can be marshalled into non-narrative propositional arguments. In this paper I will address three areas of concern for his project, and by extension, what I take to be concerns for other analytic theologians who might follow his lead

What an Apophaticist Can Know : Divine Ineffability and the Beatific Vision

The doctrines of divine ineffability and of the beatific vision seem to contradict each other. According to the former, we cannot know the divine essence. But, according to the latter, we will know God fully. To reconcile these doctrines, we first distinguish between propositional and personal knowledge, that is, between knowing about a person and knowing a person, and, following from this distinction, we then distinguish between propositional and personal ineffability, that is, between it being impossible to know about a person and it being impossible to know a person. We then argue God is propositionally ineffable but personally effable

Comparison of the photoactivity of TiO2 coatings using a flat panel reactor and FTIR to monitor the CO2 evolution rate

A system designed to continuously monitor the gas phase for the UV irradiation of flat panels of organic coatings has been modified to compare the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using TiO2 functional coatings. TiO2 was formulated into pastes and was coated onto various stainless steel and glass fibre meshes. The photoactivity was determined by monitoring the photodegradation of acetone and following the rate of CO2 evolution using FTIR spectroscopy. The kinetics were compared to the photoinduced degradation of indigo carmine, followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy to determine whether the CO2 evolution method is a viable, rapid alternative to photodegradation monitoring. A correlation was established between the two methods by determining the rate constants of the decolourisation of indigo carmine and CO2 evolution, demonstrating that such a method can be used as a rapid assessment of the photoactivity of photocatalytic coatings

Mathematical framework for predicting the thermal behaviour of spectrally selective coatings within an industrial near-infrared furnace

A transient finite difference thermal model based on the heat equations is developed, valid for spectrally selective surface coatings on any substrate material within a near-infrared (NIR) furnace. Spectral radiative heat transfer equivalent to a blackbody provides the heat source. Both radiative and natural convective cooling are accounted for. A Monte Carlo ray tracing algorithm is formulated and used to determine the radiation view factor. The variance of the algorithm in relation to mesh resolution and sample size is tested against published exact solutions. The radiative flux is divided into absorbed and reflected bands using hemispherical reflectance spectra measured within the 250–15,000 nm wavelength range, enabling the model to predict the thermal build-up of coatings with very different radiative properties. Results show that the transient temperature distribution of spectrally selective surface coatings within an NIR furnace can be modelled, with good agreement observed between experimental and simulated data. The model shows the expected relationship between colour and absorption, with darker coatings displaying greater absorption and heating rates than lighter coatings. Surprisingly, colours which appear similar to one another can display different heating rates, a result of their varied infrared reflectance properties

Food industry awareness of consumers` plant food beliefs

Abstract: Purpose &ndash; The aims of this study were to examine farmers\u27 and food processors\u27 alignment with consumers\u27 views about plant foods and their intentions to produce plant foods. Design/methodology/approach &ndash; Data on plant food beliefs were collected from mail surveys of farmers, food processing businesses and random population samples of adults in Victoria, Australia. Findings &ndash; There were strong differences between consumers\u27 beliefs and farmers\u27 and food processors\u27 perceptions of consumers\u27 beliefs. For example, a higher proportion of farmers and processors believed that consumers would eat more plant foods if more convenience-oriented plant-based meals were available than consumers themselves agreed. Farmers appeared to be more aware of or aligned with consumers\u27 beliefs than were processors. One- and two-thirds of farmers and processors respectively were planning to grow or process more plant foods, which bodes well for the availability of plant and plant-based foods. Research limitations/implications &ndash; Study limitations include the small food industry sample sizes and possible response bias, although analysis suggests the latter was low. Future research could survey a larger sample of food industry representatives, including those from other sectors (e.g. retailers). Practical implications &ndash; Education of consumers and industry groups on plant foods and better lines of communication from consumer to processor to farmer, are required. Originality/value &ndash; To the authors\u27 knowledge, this is the first study to examine farmers\u27 and food processors\u27 awareness of consumers\u27 beliefs about plant foods. This issue is important for those involved with the production and marketing of plant foods or with food, farming and health policy. <br /

Solution processing of TiO2 compact layers for 3rd generation photovoltaics

In this study, we introduce a new method for the deposition of TiO2 compact layers which involves the deposition of a wet film of an inorganic titanium (IV) precursor followed by fast hydrolytic conversion to crystalline TiO2 under near infrared radiative (NIR) treatment. With this, we aim to provide a scalable alternative to methods conventionally employed in laboratories for the fabrication of 3rd generation photovoltaic devices, such as high temperature pyrolysis or spin coating of organic titanium (IV) precursors. Optimization of our solution process is presented in detail. Structural features and crystalline properties of solution processed compact layers are characterized by FEG-SEM imaging and x-ray diffraction analyses and compared to compact layers produced by conventional laboratory techniques. Minimization of electron recombination is evaluated in standard liquid I-/I3- dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC). The results show that a compact, homogenous, high coverage yield crystalline TiO2 anatase layer can be produced by sequential deposition of 2–3 solution processed titanium oxide layers, each in under 30 s. In standard liquid I-/I3- DSC the solution processed compact layers strongly increased the electron lifetime, τn, when compared to cells prepared on a bare FTO substrate

Near Infrared Radiation as a Rapid Heating Technique for TiO2Films on Glass Mounted Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Near infrared radiation (NIR) has been used to enable the sintering of TiO2 films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass in 12.5 s. The 9 µm thick TiO2 films were constructed into working electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) achieving similar photovoltaic performance to TiO2 films prepared by heating for 30 min in a convection oven. The ability of the FTO glass to heat upon 12.5 s exposure of NIR radiation was measured using an IR camera and demonstrated a peak temperature of 680°C; glass without the 600 nm FTO layer reached 350°C under identical conditions. In a typical DSC heating step, a TiO2 based paste is heated until the polymeric binder is removed leaving a mesoporous film. The weight loss associated with this step, as measured using thermogravimetric analysis, has been used to assess the efficacy of the FTO glass to heat sufficiently. Heat induced interparticle connectivity in the TiO2 film has also been assessed using optoelectronic transient measurements that can identify electron lifetime through the TiO2 film. An NIR treated device produced in 12.5 seconds shows comparable binder removal, electron lifetime, and efficiency to a device manufactured over 30 minutes in a conventional oven

Editorial: Beatific Vision

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5.8; NRSV), so says Christ at the beginning of his greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. But just what it is to be pure in heart and what it is to see God, he never explains. Following this beatitude, Christian writers in Scripture, and in the subsequent Christian tradition, have developed the doctrine of the beatific vision, according to which a person who is completely sanctified (is pure in heart) has immediate knowledge of God (sees him). While this doctrine has exerted considerable influence on the Christian tradition, it has received scant philosophical attention. In this issue, we begin to sketch what a philosophy of the beatific vision would look like