Apocalypses and the Sage. Different Endings of the World in Seneca

This paper deals with apocalypse, intended as a revelation or prediction related to the end of the world, in Seneca’s prose work. The descriptions and readings of this event appear to be quite different from each other. My analysis will follow two main directions. Firstly, I will show the human side of the question, focussing on the condition of the sage facing the universal ruin in the context of the macroscopic narrative structure of most passages, and on the differences between the Epicurean and the Stoic view on this point. Secondly, I will turn to the descriptions of the end of the world which we can find in the Naturales Quaestiones. I will argue that Seneca’s choice of flood or conflagration as representations for the apocalypse are not haphazard, but may be motivated by a subtle political narrative, and thus linked to the Stoic struggle for taking part in the governing of the state. In particular, the end of book three represents a flood which probably alludes to Tiber’s floods.Keywords: Seneca; Final flood; ekpyrosis; End of the world; Fire of Rome; Tiber’s flood.Este artículo trata del apocalipsis, entendido como una revelación o predicción relacionada con el fin del mundo, en las obras en prosa de Séneca. Las descripciones y lecturas de este evento parecen ser bastante diferentes entre sí. Mi análisis seguirá dos direcciones principales. En primer lugar, mostraré el lado humano de la cuestión, centrándome en la condición del sabio frente a la ruina universal en el contexto de la estructura narrativa macroscópica de la mayoría de los pasajes, y en las diferencias entre el punto de vista epicúreo y el estoico en este punto. En segundo lugar, me referiré a las descripciones del fin del mundo que podemos encontrar en las Naturales Quaestiones. Argumentaré que la elección de Séneca de las representaciones de inundación o conflagración para el apocalipsis no es fortuita, sino que puede estar motivada por una sutil narrativa política y, por lo tanto, vinculada a la lucha estoica por tomar parte en el gobierno del Estado. En particular, el final del tercer libro representa una inundación que probablemente alude a las inundaciones del Tíber

Network formation with closeness incentives

We study network formation in a strategic setting where every agent strives for short paths to the other agents. The main parameter of our model is the marginal rate of substitution between network benefits and linking costs. We provide boundaries of stable networks for increasing and decreasing marginal returns. The formulated model stands in strong relation to the famous connections model (Jackson and Wolinsky ‘96): we show that for certain parameter values both models induce the same network structures.

A note on Condorcet consistency and the median voter

We discuss to which extent the median voter theorem extends to the domain of single-peaked preferences on median spaces. After observing that on this domain a Condorcet winner need not exist, we show that if a Condorcet winner does exist, then it coincides with the median alternative ('the median voter'). Based on this result, we propose two non-cooperative games that implement the unique strategy-proof social choice rule on this domain. --

Under-connected and Over-connected Networks

Since the seminal contribution of Jackson & Wolinsky 1996 [A Strategic Model of Social and Economic Networks, JET 71, 44-74] it has been widely acknowledged that the formation of social networks exhibits a general conflict between individual strategic behavior and collective outcome. What has not been studied systematically are the sources of inefficiency. We approach this omission by analyzing the role of positive and negative externalities of link formation. This yields general results that relate situations of positive externalities with stable networks that cannot be “too dense” in a well-defined sense, while situations with negative externalities tend to induce “too dense” networks.Networks, Network Formation, Connections, Game Theory, Externalities, Spillovers, Stability, Efficiency

The dynamics of closeness and betweenness

Although both betweenness and closeness centrality are claimed to be important for the effectiveness of someones network position, it has not been explicitly studied which networks emerge if actors follow incentives for these two positional advantages. We propose such a model and observe that network dynamics differ considerably in a scenario with either betweenness or closeness incentives compared to a scenario in which closeness and betweenness incentives are combined. Considering social consequences, we find low clustering when actors strive for either type of centrality. Surprisingly, actors striving for closeness are likely to reach networks with relatively low closeness and high betweenness, while this is the other way round for actors striving for betweenness. This shows that in both situations the network formation process implies a social dilemma in which the social optimum is not reached by individual optimizing.networks, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, actor utility, network dynamics, social dilemma

Under-connected and over-connected networks

Since the seminal contribution of Jackson & Wolinsky 1996 [A Strategic Model of Social and Economic Networks, JET 71, 44-74] it has been widely acknowledged that the formation of social networks exhibits a general conflict between individual strategic behavior and collective outcome. What has not been studied systematically are the sources of inefficiency. We approach this gap by analyzing the role of positive and negative externalities of link formation. We find general results that relate situations of positive externalities with stable networks that cannot be "too dense" in a well-defined sense, while situations with negative externalities, tend to induce "too dense" networks.networks, network formation, connections, game theory, externalities, spillovers, stability, efficiency

The ‘PAThs’ Project: An Effort to Represent the Physical Dimension of Coptic Literary Production (Third–Eleventh centuries)

PAThs – Tracking Papyrus and Parchment Paths: An Archaeological Atlas of Coptic Literature. Literary Texts in their Geographical Context. Production, Copying, Usage, Dissemination and Storage is an ambitious digital project based in Rome, working towards a new historical and archaeological geography of the Coptic literary tradition. This aim implies a number of auxiliary tasks and challenges, including classification of authors, works, titles, colophons, and codicological units, as well as the study and wherever possible exact mapping of the relevant geographical sites related to the production, circulation, and storage of manuscript

Tourism and sustainability: Unfolding local identities; shifting global challenges: Papers presented in the Tourism Strand of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa-New Zealand Conference 1995

Table of contents: Public participation in tourism planning : where is the Trojan horse? / David Simmons Using conflict and sense of place perspectives in understanding tourism's social impacts / Chrys Horn Akaroa's "French connection" : reconstructing a gaze on the past / Jo Fountain The personal sustainability of tourism / Kevin Moore.In recognition of the importance of informed debate on the issue of sustainability in general, the Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand adopted for the theme of their 1995 conference in Akaroa (1-3 December), "Unfolding Local Identities; Shifting Global Challenges". One stream of that conference addressed issues concerning sustainability and tourism in New Zealand. This Occasional Paper presents four of the papers given as part of the Tourism Stream of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand's 1995 Conference