3,788 research outputs found
The ethical challenge of Touraine's 'living together'
In Can We Live Together? Alain Touraine combines a consummate analysis of crucial social tensions in contemporary societies with a strong normative appeal for a new emancipatory 'Subject' capable of overcoming the twin threats of atomisation or authoritarianism. He calls for a move from 'politics to ethics' and then from ethics back to politics to enable the new Subject to make a reality out of the goals of democracy and solidarity. However, he has little to say about the nature of such an ethics. This article argues that this lacuna could usefully be filled by adopting a form of radical humanism found in the work of Erich Fromm. It defies convention in the social sciences by operating from an explicit view of the 'is' and the 'ought' of common human nature, specifying reason, love and productive work as the qualities to be realised if we are to move closer to human solidarity. Although there remain significant philosophical and political differences between the two positions, particularly on the role to be played by 'the nation', their juxtaposition opens new lines of inquiry in the field of cosmopolitan ethics
Jet-torus connection in radio galaxies: Relativistic hydrodynamics and synthetic emission
High-resolution Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry observations of active
galactic nuclei have revealed asymmetric structures in the jets of radio
galaxies. These asymmetric structures may be due to internal asymmetries in the
jet, could be induced by the different conditions in the surrounding ambient
medium including the obscuring torus, or a combination of the two. In this
paper we investigate the influence of the ambient medium (including the
obscuring torus) on the observed properties of jets from radio galaxies. We
performed special-relativistic hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of over-pressured
and pressure-matched jets using the special-relativistic hydrodynamics code
\texttt{Ratpenat}, which is based on a second-order accurate finite-volume
method and an approximate Riemann solver. Using a newly developed emission code
to compute the electromagnetic emission, we have investigated the influence of
different ambient medium and torus configurations on the jet structure and
subsequently computed the non-thermal emission produced by the jet and the
thermal absorption due to the torus. To better compare the emission simulations
with observations we produced synthetic radio maps, taking into account the
properties of the observatory. The detailed analysis of our simulations shows
that the observed asymmetries can be produced by the interaction of the jet
with the ambient medium and by the absorption properties of the obscuring
torus.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figures, submitted to A&
F-GAMMA: On the phenomenological classification of continuum radio spectra variability patterns of Fermi blazars
The F-GAMMA program is a coordinated effort to investigate the physics of
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) via multi-frequency monitoring of Fermi blazars.
In the current study we show and discuss the evolution of broad-band radio
spectra, which are measured at ten frequencies between 2.64 and 142 GHz using
the Effelsberg 100-m and the IRAM 30-m telescopes. It is shown that any of the
78 sources studied can be classified in terms of their variability
characteristics in merely 5 types of variability. It is argued that these can
be attributed to only two classes of variability mechanisms. The first four
types are dominated by spectral evolution and can be described by a simple
two-component system composed of: (a) a steep quiescent spectral component from
a large scale jet and (b) a time evolving flare component following the
"Shock-in-Jet" evolutionary path. The fifth type is characterised by an
achromatic change of the broad band spectrum, which could be attributed to a
different mechanism, likely involving differential Doppler boosting caused by
geometrical effects. Here we present the classification, the assumed physical
scenario and the results of calculations that have been performed for the
spectral evolution of flares.Comment: Proceedings of the conference: "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic
Nucleic: Astronomy at High Angular Resolution 2011", August 29 - September 2,
2011, Bad Honnef, German
Happiness, environmental protection and market economy
The manufacturing sector is leaving the West for Asiaâs low wages and good working culture. Europe would be better off keeping these manufacturing activities, slowing down wage inflation and what is more, letting a young, cheaper workforce from the East settle down within their borders. This would aid in preserving the diverse economic structure which has been characteristic for Europe.Beside the economic growth there are two more concepts which have turned into the âholy cowsâ of economics during the last fifty years. One is the need to constantly improve labor productivity and the other is increasing competitiveness of nations. The high labor productivity of some countries, induces severe unemployment in the globalized world. In the other hand it is high time we understood that it is not competition, but cooperation that brings more happiness to humanity.Should we still opt for âhappinessâ and âsanityâ, it is quite obvious that we all should, in economistsâ terms, define our individual welfare functions corresponding to our own set of values, staying free from the influence of media, advertisements and fashion. The cornerstone to all this is the intelligent citizen who prefers local goods and services
Catching the Radio Flare in CTA 102 III. Core-Shift and Spectral Analysis
The temporal and spatial spectral evolution of the jets of AGN can be studied
with multi-frequency, multi-epoch VLBI observations. The combination of both,
morphological and spectral parameters can be used to derive source intrinsic
physical properties such as the magnetic field and the non-thermal particle
density. In the first two papers of this series, we analyzed the single-dish
light curves and the VLBI kinematics of the blazar CTA 102 and suggested a
shock-shock interaction between a traveling and a standing shock wave as a
possible scenario to explain the observed evolution of the component associated
to the 2006 flare. In this paper we investigate the core-shift and spectral
evolution to test our hypothesis of a shock-shock interaction. We used 8
multi-frequency VLBA observations to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution
of the spectral parameters during the flare. We observed CTA 102 between May
2005 and April 2007 using the VLBA at six different frequencies spanning from 2
- 86 GHz. After the calibrated VLBA images were corrected for opacity, we
performed a detailed spectral analysis. From the derived values we estimated
the magnetic field and the density of the relativistic particles. The detailed
analysis of the opacity shift reveals that the position of the jet core is
proportional to nu^-1 with some temporal variations. The value suggests
possible equipartition between magnetic field energy and particle kinetic
energy densities at the most compact regions. From the variation of the
physical parameters we deduced that the 2006 flare in CTA 102 is connected to
the ejection of a new traveling feature (t=2005.9) and the interaction between
this shock wave and a stationary structure around 0.1 mas from the core. The
source kinematics together with the spectral and structural variations can be
described by helical motions in an over-pressured jet.Comment: 35 pages, 46 figure
Driven to excess? Linking calling, character and the (mis)behaviour of marketers
We are presently at a point of unique circumstantial convergence where recession, an increased emphasis on business ethics, and marketerâs reluctance to accept shifting social agendas have combined to identify the need for a new approach to marketing. Using concepts from the human resources, marketing and psychology literatures, and especially Erich Frommâs ideas concerning economic character, this paper posits that marketers â as a professional community â are driven to promote consumerist outcomes; victims of an automaton amalgam of calling and character. The analysis suggests the vulnerability of both marketer and consumer are mutually reinforcing and that we need, somehow, to break this damaging cycle of dependence. We know little, however, about how marketers think and feel about their discipline, so this paper also promotes an agenda for marketer behaviour research, as a countervailing balance to a currently disproportionate focus on the consumer
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