20 research outputs found
Dynamic Divinity in Flux: Tracing Nikos Kazantzakis's Convergence of Greek Theology and Evolutionary Philosophy
This study embarks on an analytical journey through the theological perspectives of Nikos Kazantzakis, underpinned by the concept of God's mutability and its roots in ancient and Byzantine Greek theology. Focusing on Kazantzakis's pivotal works such as "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Report to Greco," the research employs a literary and historical approach to unravel the synthesis of Christian Orthodoxy, neo-Platonic philosophy, and modern evolutionary thought. The influence of Alfred North Whitehead's process theology and Henri Bergson's evolutionary vitalism on Kazantzakis's conception of a dynamic, evolving God is explored, challenging traditional doctrines of divine immutability. The study also delves into Platonic thought's impact on Kazantzakis, examining the dialectic of being and becoming, and the reinterpretation of classical concepts like stasis and kinesis in a Christian theological context. Additionally, it scrutinizes the compatibility of Kazantzakisâs views with Orthodox Christian theology, particularly in the light of contributions from figures such as Origen and the Cappadocian Fathers. The findings reveal a complex interplay between Greek philosophical heritage and Christian theology in Kazantzakis's work, offering a unique perspective on the nature of God and the compatibility of faith with evolving scientific understanding. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue between religion and philosophy, highlighting the relevance of ancient wisdom in contemporary theological discourse and underscoring the transformative potential of theological thought in the modern era
Lost and found: the Nooth apparatus
John Mervin Nooth, military surgeon, correspondent of Joseph Priestly and Benjamin Franklin, and noted inventor and scientist has been lost and found several times, through his eponymous invention: the Nooth apparatus. A large glass apparatus superficially resembling a Kippâs gas generator was used originally for carbonating water during the âfizzy waterâ craze in the eighteenth century, only to be outdone by one Mr. Schweppes. The apparatus would later form part of the first anaesthetic equipment used in surgery, some twenty years after Nooth apparatus ceased to be made. The now part-Nooth apparatus / anaesthetiser would then, too, be forgotten again with the advent of the use of nitrous oxide. The Nooth apparatus in the Dublin City University Science Archive was found in a glassware dump in 2000 by the author, and subsequently cleaned, and restored in 2017. It is currently on display, but it is also used, with slight modification, as a gas generator for the undergraduate teaching of trainee teachers with the lesson: ânever throw anything away.
Examining the structures of students' concepts using repertory grid analysis
This work attempts to explore the methodological legacy of George Kelly â repertory grid analysis â as an aid to visually mapping the structures of studentsâ concepts. Although, Kelly formulated a complex Euclidian framework of psychological laws, axioms, and corollaries, we have concentrated on the methods that later workers took from Kellyâs original âRepGrid Testâ. The central entity is a self-constructed concept, or set thereof, that may be represented in a matrix. As a matrix of integers can be manipulated by a large variety of statistical protocols, we explore in three studies how such matrices may be derived in relation to students` concepts of living kinds, and then how they may be analysed. Typcially, we use principal components analysis â a model-free form of factor analysis. The resultant loadings derived from these analyses are plotted on Cartesian planes from which additional information about the structure of the studentsâ conceptualizations may be derived
Comparing learnersâ constructs using âsocio-netsâ: an application of repertory grid analysis
Repertory grid analysis was employed as a means of constructing representations of learners conceptions of living things (described in previous work). Experts in biology and secondary school science learners were probed for their representations of living things. Clearly, a theory is at work in the mind of the experts. The question now is: how many of the students share this theory? A record of commonality
is required, and for that a social network framework is necessary. Therefore, representations were compared using the SOCIO program which measures the similarity between individuals and a visual network produced for the groups studied. This work is part of an overall project examining the learnersâ innate ability to classify and categorize living things. Classification and categorization are neglected in science curricula which has implications with respect to the renewed emphasis in education on learning about biodiversity. It was found that whereas there is a commonality with respect to learnersâ conceptions, the commonality is measurable and that learners often operate within a âpre-scientificâ or folk-biological mode, experts operate within a highly formalized mode based on their training, and that notwithstanding such a difference in modes, there remains a degree of commonality between learners and experts
Formation des enseignants: un exemple de recherche-action: Chypre, France, lrlande, République tchÚque, Slovénie
Cet article rend compte dâun travail de recherche engagĂ© par des universitaires de cinq pays, dans le cadre dâun projet europĂ©en sur lâenseignement des sciences. Lâobjectif est de bĂątir des modules de formation qui engagent les enseignants de sciences dans un processus de modification de leurs pratiques et dans lâacquisition de dĂ©marches susceptibles dâaccompagner la construction du savoir chez lâĂ©lĂšve. Trois axes fondent ce travail : engager les enseignants dans des activitĂ©s dâinvestigations ; sâappuyer sur le vĂ©cu des enseignants pour favoriser la mise en Ćuvre de ces dĂ©marches dans le quotidien de leurs classes ; mettre en valeur un travail multiculturel qui favorise la dĂ©centration et ouvre le champ des possibles
Geochemical mapping of a blue carbon zone: investigation of the influence of riverine input on tidal affected zones in Bull Island
Bull Island (BI) is a coastal sand spit that formed as an unintended consequence of the construction of two walls, built over 200 years ago in Dublin Port, Ireland to alleviate silting of the shipping route. A large lagoon, on the land side of the island was separated in 1964 by the construction of a causeway to produce two separate lagoons that are now impacted by different water sources. Here we investigate the influence of riverine inputs on the two adjacent but unconnected tidal wetland lagoons. The South lagoon (SL) is supplied by tidal water passing through the eutrophic R. Liffey and R. Tolka estuary zones, while the North Lagoon (NL) is supplied by seawater and to a lesser degree, freshwater from the R. Liffey plume. Within each of these zones a clear ecotone exists between the mudflats (MF) and vegetated saltmarshes (SM). We determined the quantity and distributions of bulk geochemical characteristics across BIâs sediments, including total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), metals, and also, 16 individual polyromantic hydrocarbonâs (PAHâs) as an indication of anthropogenic input. Primary focus was placed on studying the blue carbon sediments of the lagoon zones. Significant differences in analytical results showed major influences exerted on sediment geochemistry within each lagoon. This study highlights the ability of a functioning coastal wetland to flourish and sequester elevated levels of carbon, metals and pollutants under the constraints of increasing anthropogenic impact. As the inadvertent result of geo-engineering, BI and its environs is a very important site to investigate the potential of artificially constructed wetlands to act as blue carbon reservoirs
Osebnostni konstrukti bioloskih konceptov - pristop repertoarnih mrez
This work discusses repertory grid analysis as a tool for investigating the structures of studentsâ representations of biological concepts. Repertory grid analysis provides the researcher with a variety of techniques that are not associated with standard methods of concept mapping for investigating conceptual structures. It can provide valuable insights into the learning process, and can be used as a diagnostic tool in identifying problems that students have in understanding biological concepts. The biological concepts examined in this work are ânatural kindsâ: a technical class of concepts which âappearâ to have invisible âessencesâ meaning carrying more perceptual weight than being perceptually similar. Because children give more weight to natural-kind membership when reasoning about traits, it would seem pertinent to apply such knowledge to deep-level research into how children reason in biology. The concept of natural kinds has a particular resonance with biology since biological kinds hold the distinction of being almost all natural kinds, such as when the same âstuff or thingâ takes many different forms. We have conducted a range of studies using a diversity of biological natural kinds, but in this paper, we wish to explore some of the theoretical underpinnings in more detail. To afford this exploration, we outline one case-study in a small group of secondary school students exploring the concept of âequineâ â that is, what is an equine? Five positive examples were chosen to engaged with by the students and one âoutlierâ with which to compare the construction process. Recommendations are offered in applying this approach to biological education research. (DIPF/Orig.
A Sight for Sore Eyes: Diplostomum and Tylodelphys in the Eyes of Fish
Sight for Sore Eyes: Diplostomum and Tylodelphys in the Eye
Communities of Practice as Systems: The Case of TEALEAF
This work provides an update to the Erasmus Plus TEALEAF project. The outcomes of a week-long EU-funded/Irish Government-recognized teacher course in July 2016 is described within the context of a qualitative small-scale study investigating teachersâ progress in the course. The explicit aim of the teacher course was to equip a diverse group of teachers with the initial tools to work to produce simple digital apps for learning about biodiversity in their respective domains. A community of practice seeks to establish a new concept of the pre-existing generalised collective conscience through triangulated conversation between the generalised and particularised collective and individual consciences; in particular, to revise the generalised collective conscience that teachers can program apps for learning about biodiversity. A number of features of teaching and learning were selected in general and their relationship to constructivism delineated. The teachers were prompted for their responses to each day of the course through a self-evaluation tool and the responses were ranked according to the rubric. The data was analyzed using multidimensional scalingâASCAL procedureâin SPSS 23TM and within the repertory grid domain according to the RepSocio tool in Rep 5TM. The plots show a gradual development throughout the week in terms of specific features becoming âstrongerâ or exerting more influence towards the middle of the course and fragmenting after that. Analyses were able to show which participants correlated most closely with the hypothetical ideal within the community of practice. Concerning this community of practice, the interrelationships within the community are determined using a social mapping exercise moving from the individual consciences to a particularised collective conscience