Ontological conditions for non-evil

In this article three interlocking ontological prerequisites for a condition of non-evil are identified. The first is the idea of a plurality of human aspects and dimensions that give one another room to exist, instead of an oppressing reduction to one aspect only. Secondly, these aspects need to exist next to one another as equally valued. This condition implies that even if a person lacks some aspect, she can still be affirmed as a human being because her humanity does not depend entirely or even mainly on the superiority of the missing aspect. Equality is, however, often interpreted as a homogenisation of all dimensions of life to one aspect only. This monism is a denial of variety and will only evoke its anti-pole in the form of a disengaged dualism or pluralism. I therefore argue that a third condition for the manifestation of a condition of non-evil is engagement between the aspects and dimensions of human life

An epistemology of engagement

Within the viewpoint of representationalist epistemology it is assumed that objects can be represented in the mind or in language by rebuilding images of these objects from foundational ideas. In this article I examine the resistance to this depiction in an ongoing debate between Rorty and Taylor. Taylor argues that we should overcome the disengagement in what he sees as representationalism’s dualism of two mutually exclusive assumptions. The first assumption is the solipsist notion that our ideas can be formed without reference to the world outside the mind. According to the second tenet, however, it is paradoxically also assumed that these inner ideas are representations of the world. Because Rorty mainly targets the element of foundationalism in representationalism, he seems to argue that all we are able to know are our perspectives. I argue (in line with Taylor’s line of thought) that this view implies that Rorty leans towards solipsism and thus remains under the spell of representationalism. Taylor, on the other hand, partially accepts the strong grip of perspectives on our knowing but simultaneously devises the concept of “preunderstanding” to get beyond perspectivism. I argue that Taylor’s thinking may still leave us with a mild foundationalism. However, the holism he assumes, can be used in a re-formed way to bring us a step closer to overcoming the representationalist dualism, and to steer us in the direction of an epistemology of engagement

Multidimensionaliteit en die multikulturele situasie

Multidimensionality and the multicultural situation Most societies and social institutions are currently characterised by the presence of a multitude of cultures which is an indication of a multicultural situation. Two opposite reductionist proposals for dealing with this situation are those of homogenisers/ universalists and fragmentists/particularists. There is also a dualistic in-between group. The question of this article has two sides: diagnostically it asks about the nature of the reductionism of the three groups. Therapeutically the question is about the conditions for overcoming this reductionism. Diagnostically it is argued that the reductionists deal in a one-sided way with two sets of abstractions of the multicultural situation. More precisely: they do not succeed in holding simultaneously onto important dimensions like coherence and diversity, as well as universality and particularity. Therapeutically it is argued that the latter dimensions of the multicultural situation must be mutually engaged in order for them to empower one another. It is proposed that this can be accomplished by a clear distinction between universal types like culture, justice, morality and so on, and also between these types and their particular manifestations. Furthermore, reductionisms as well as the disengagements of dualism can be avoided if the relationprinciples of parataxis, complementarity and acculturation are adhered to

A cosmopolitan politics of loyalty

While focusing on the thought of Charles Taylor the question whether the politics of loyalty can be part of a transcendental structure for society is discussed in this article. Classical patriotism, for instance, involves loyalty to public institutions and laws to enhance self-rule. In the twentieth century, however, classical patriotism became fused with nationalism (i.e. loyalty to culture), resulting in many instances in human suffering. Part of the explanation for this derailment is to be found in the Taylorian concept of the hypertrophy of autonomous freedom. The argument developed in this article links up with trends in liberalism and Taylor’s own reasoning that hypertrophy can be curbed within a transcendental structure for society (i.e. a cosmopolitan politics of loyalty). However, in the liberalist trends (and also in Taylor’s thought) tension exists between such a structure and the perception that loyalty politics is a mere particularism. As alternative I propose engagement between the cosmopolitan perspective and the various loyalties, with the latter a transcendental principle that needs to be applied in collaboration with other principles

Eros en seksuele natuur

The aim of this article is to expose a dichotomy between the inter- and intrapersonal aspects of sexuality that haunt the current discourse on sexual normality. This division has led to a dual movement: in one direction to a moral relativism and in the other to an exclusive focus on sexual instincts. Thus, in the current discourse on sexuality, the interpersonal dimension o f sexuality is underplayed, while the intrapersonal dimension is overemphasized. I argue instead for a bridging of the gap between the inter- and intrapersonal dimensions of sexuality. The reason: neither moral relativism nor a rigid deterministic structure for sexual instincts represents an adequate view of, on the one hand the description of sexuality, and on the other the prescription o f the expression of that sexuality. In conclusion, I point to a few consequenses o f the integration o f both dimensions for sexual normality

Rekeningkunde vir die omgewing1

One of the main purposes of financial reporting is to provide a mechanism hy which management can report matters concerning custodianship of resources entrusted to them hy the stakeholders. One of these categories of stakeholders is the general public, which currently requires more information about the way the entity has discharged itself of its responsibility towards the ecology. However, the traditional financial accounting model is unable to account fo r ecologial assets and ecological capital. Several rather pragmatic suggestions have been made by researchers as to how to account fo r these aspects. One of these suggestions is quoted in this article, followed by a possible alternative by which ecological assets and ecological capital are introduced into the primary financial statements

Breakdown and recovery of thin gate oxides

Breakdown events are studied in varying test set-ups with a high time resolution. Often a partial recovery from breakdown is observed\ud within a few ms. Parameters such as device area, stress conditions and parasitic elements prohibit the recovery if they result in a high system impedance. The results suggest the existence of a highly conductive path that can be annihilated during breakdown

South Africa Class F Fly Ash for roads : physical and chemical analysis

Published ArticleFly Ash is a by-product at thermal power stations, also otherwise known as residues of fine particles that rise with flue gases. An industrial by-product may be inferior to the traditional materials used construction applications, but, the lower the cost of these inferior materials make it an attractive alternative if adequate performance can be achieved. The objective of this study is to evaluate the chemical and physical effectiveness of self-cementing fly ashes derived from thermal power stations for construction applications with combined standards. Using laboratory testing specimens, suitable types of Fly Ashes namely: Kendal Dump Ash, Durapozz and Pozzfill, were tested to the required standards to evaluate the potential properties. All three Fly Ashes have been classified as a Class F Fly Ash, which requires a cementing agent for reactions to take place and for early strength gains in the early stages of the reaction processes. The Fly Ashes conformed to the combination of standards and have shown that the proper reactions will take place and will continue over period of time. The use of fly ash is accepted worldwide due to saving in cement, consuming industrial waste and making durable materials, especially due to improvement in the quality fly ash products

Trap-assisted tunnelling and Shockley-Read-Hall lifetime of extended defects in In.53Ga.47As p+n junction

Several In.53Ga.47As p+n junctions with various extended defect densities (EDDs) have been grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), by carefully controlling the growth conditions. After fabrication, T-dependent J-V, C-V and double DLTS (DDLTS) are performed to extract the electrical field dependence of the extended defect levels. From this characterization, it is derived that the extended defects dominate the electrical field enhancement factor Gamma regardless of the value of the EDD and significantly increases the leakage current under reverse bias (i.e., decrease the Shockley-Read-Hall lifetime). These impacts are strongly connected to a "band-like" density of states of extended defects E2 at E-C-0.32 eV by comparing the DDLTS and T-dependent J-V characteristics. On the other hand, the reference sample (without EDs) surprisingly exhibits an even stronger field dependence with lower leakage current. Nevertheless, no straightforward candidate point defects can be found in this sample and the possible explanation are discussed