456 research outputs found
Signposts to Silence. Metaphysical mysticism
Signposts to Silence provides a theoretical map of what it terms âmetaphysical mysticismâ: the search for the furthest, most inclusive horizon, the domain of silence, which underlies the religious and metaphysical urge of humankind in its finest forms. Tracing the footsteps of pioneers of this exploration, the investigation also documents a number of historical pilgrimages from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. Such mountaineers of the spirit, who created paths trodden by groups of followers over centuries and in some cases millennia, include Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, Siddhattha and Jesus, Sankara and Fa-tsang, Plato and Plotinus, Isaac Luria and Ibn Arabi, Aquinas and Hegel. Such figures, teachings and traditions (including the religions of âJudaismâ, âChristianityâ and âIslamâ; âHinduismâ, âBuddhismâ and âTaoismâ) are understood as, at their most sublime, not final destiny and the end of the road, but signposts to a horizon of ultimate silence. The hermeneutical method employed in tracking such pioneers involves four steps:
⢠sound historical-critical understanding of the context of the various traditions and figures
⢠reconstruction of the subjective intentional structure of such persons and their teachings
⢠design, by the author, of a theoretical map of the overall terrain of âmetaphysical mysticismâ, on which all such journeys of the spirit are to be located, while providing a theoretical context for understanding them tendentionally (i.e. taking the ultimate drift of their thinking essentially to transcend their subjective intentions)
⢠drawing out, within the space available, some political (taken in a wide sense) implications from the above, such as religio-political stances as well as ecological and gender implications.
Continuing the general direction of thought within what the author endorses to be the best in metaphysical mysticism in its historical manifestations, the book aims to contribute to peace amongst religions in the contemporary global cultural situation. It relativizes all claims to exclusive, absolute truth that might be proclaimed by any religious or metaphysical, mystical position, while providing space for not only tolerating, but also affirming the unique value and dignity of each. This orientation moves beyond the stances of enmity or indifference or syncretism or homogenisation of all, as well as that of mere friendly toleration. It investigates the seemingly daunting and inhospitable yet immensely significant Antarctica of the Spirit, the âmetaâ-space of silence behind the various forms of wordy âinterâ-relationships. It affirms pars pro toto, totum pro parte, and pars pro parte: that each religious, mystical and metaphysical orientation in its relative singularity represents or contains the whole and derives value from that, and that each represents or contains every other. This homoversal solidarity stimulating individual uniqueness is different from and in fact implies criticism of the process of globalisation. While not taking part in a scientific argument as such, Signposts to Silence aims at promoting an understanding of science and metaphysical mysticism as mutual context for each other, and it listens to a number of voices from the domain of science that understand this
Quantum Phase Transitions and the Extended Coupled Cluster Method
We discuss the application of an extended version of the coupled cluster
method to systems exhibiting a quantum phase transition. We use the lattice
O(4) non-linear sigma model in (1+1)- and (3+1)-dimensions as an example. We
show how simple predictions get modified, leading to the absence of a phase
transition in (1+1) dimensions, and strong indications for a phase transition
in (3+1) dimensions
Oor die verhouding tussen teologiese sosiale etiek en sosiologie, met verwysing na die Kirchliche Dogmatik van Karl Barth
No abstract available
Perspectives on Interstellar Dust Inside and Outside of the Heliosphere
Measurements by dust detectors on interplanetary spacecraft appear to
indicate a substantial flux of interstellar particles with masses exceeding
10^{-12}gram. The reported abundance of these massive grains cannot be typical
of interstellar gas: it is incompatible with both interstellar elemental
abundances and the observed extinction properties of the interstellar dust
population. We discuss the likelihood that the Solar System is by chance
located near an unusual concentration of massive grains and conclude that this
is unlikely, unless dynamical processes in the ISM are responsible for such
concentrations. Radiation pressure might conceivably drive large grains into
"magnetic valleys". If the influx direction of interstellar gas and dust is
varying on a ~10 yr timescale, as suggested by some observations, this would
have dramatic implications for the small-scale structure of the interstellar
medium.Comment: 13 pages. To appear in Space Science Review
High-Order Coupled Cluster Method (CCM) Calculations for Quantum Magnets with Valence-Bond Ground States
In this article, we prove that exact representations of dimer and plaquette
valence-bond ket ground states for quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnets may be
formed via the usual coupled cluster method (CCM) from independent-spin product
(e.g. N\'eel) model states. We show that we are able to provide good results
for both the ground-state energy and the sublattice magnetization for dimer and
plaquette valence-bond phases within the CCM. As a first example, we
investigate the spin-half -- model for the linear chain, and we show
that we are able to reproduce exactly the dimerized ground (ket) state at
. The dimerized phase is stable over a range of values for
around 0.5. We present evidence of symmetry breaking by considering
the ket- and bra-state correlation coefficients as a function of . We
then consider the Shastry-Sutherland model and demonstrate that the CCM can
span the correct ground states in both the N\'eel and the dimerized phases.
Finally, we consider a spin-half system with nearest-neighbor bonds for an
underlying lattice corresponding to the magnetic material CaVO (CAVO).
We show that we are able to provide excellent results for the ground-state
energy in each of the plaquette-ordered, N\'eel-ordered, and dimerized regimes
of this model. The exact plaquette and dimer ground states are reproduced by
the CCM ket state in their relevant limits.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, 2 table
Measurement of the Atmospheric Muon Spectrum from 20 to 3000 GeV
The absolute muon flux between 20 GeV and 3000 GeV is measured with the L3
magnetic muon spectrometer for zenith angles ranging from 0 degree to 58
degree. Due to the large exposure of about 150 m2 sr d, and the excellent
momentum resolution of the L3 muon chambers, a precision of 2.3 % at 150 GeV in
the vertical direction is achieved.
The ratio of positive to negative muons is studied between 20 GeV and 500
GeV, and the average vertical muon charge ratio is found to be 1.285 +- 0.003
(stat.) +- 0.019 (syst.).Comment: Total 32 pages, 9Figure
From 'One Namibia, One Nation' towards 'Unity in Diversity? Shifting representations of culture and nationhood in Namibian Independence Day celebrations, 1990-2010
In 2010 Namibia celebrated its twentieth anniversary of independence from South African rule. The main celebrations in the
countryâs capital Windhoek became the stage for an impressively orchestrated demonstration of maturing nationhood,
symbolically embracing postcolonial policy concepts such as ânational reconciliationâ, âunityâ and âdiversityâ. At the same time,
nation building in post-apartheid Namibia is characterised by a high degree of social and political fragmentation that manifests
itself in cultural and/or ethnic discourses of belonging. Taking the highly significant independence jubilee as our vantage point,
we map out a shift of cultural representations of the nation in Independence Day celebrations since 1990, embodied by the two
prominent slogans of âOne Namibia, one Nationâ and âUnity in Diversityâ. As we will argue, the difficult and at times highly
fragile postcolonial disposition made it necessary for the SWAPO government, as primary nation builder, to accommodate the
demands of regions and local communities in its policy frameworks. This negotiation of local identifications and national
belonging in turn shaped, and continues to shape, the performative dimension of Independence Day celebrations in Namibia.Web of Scienc
Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set
We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s
using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays
in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at
production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton
collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment
at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity.
We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the
B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2,
-1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in
agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model
value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by
other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012
Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in âs = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fbâ1 of protonâproton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results
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