bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Human Migration on the Spread of Arboviral Diseases on the United States–Mexico Border
Authors: Diaz-Badillo Alvaro , Muñoz-Moreno Maria de Lourdes
Published: October 2021

International population movement is an underlying factor in the emergence of public health threats and risks that must be managed worldwide. These risks are often related to, but not limited to, transmissible pathogens. Mobile populations can link zones of disease emergence to low-prevalence or no endemic areas through rapid or high-volume international movements, or both. Emerging infectious diseases are defined as conditions that have appeared in recent times or that have recently increased their frequency and/or geographical distribution. Commercial globalization, population movements, and environmental changes are the primary factors favoring the international spread of these pathogens. Transport, communication development, and civil security are also elements that contribute to the worldwide dispersion of microorganisms and their vectors. Today, arboviral diseases (ADs), caused by viruses transmitted by arthropod vectors, still account for a significant percentage of death and disability worldwide in specific regions and remain important cause of illness. The mass movement of enormous numbers of people creates new opportunities for the spread and establishment of traditional or novel ADs. Historically, dengue, West Nile fever, chikungunya, Zika, and Mayaro virus infection have been major contributors to human morbidity and mortality until relatively recent times, when noncommunicable diseases began to compete.
Introduction
Authors: Weiss Charles
Published: October 2021

Science and technology have made it possible for people to enjoy longer, richer, healthier lives but also pose existential threats to human survival. Climate change, pandemics, and the danger of nuclear war know no borders and demand a global response. Mixed with politics, economics, business, law, psychology, ethics, security, and culture, science and technology underlie issues of cyberconflict, Internet governance, competitiveness, jobs, inequality, and poverty. Unbridled use of fossil fuels disrupts the climate. Hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence, and autonomous weapons can lead to the brink of unintended nuclear war. Cyberattacks can cripple critical infrastructure. Safeguards against these dangers have been undermined. The Internet and social media may no longer embody freedom of information, communication, and innovation. Manufacturing innovation creates new, technically demanding jobs. Tackling these issues requires disciplinary knowledge often unfamiliar to international affairs professionals. It requires confronting facts and complexities while the very idea of scientific facts is under attack.
Stratospheric Ozone
Authors: Weiss Charles
Published: October 2021

The international effort to protect the stratospheric ozone layer successfully integrated science and technology into international environmental diplomacy and solved a global environmental problem. Research scientists identified the problem and its cause, winning a Nobel Prize for their efforts. Opponents of government regulation attacked their findings, but their campaign fell flat. An epistemic community educated governments and convinced them that international action was needed to protect people from skin cancer and to shield ocean ecosystems from disruption. Manufacturers promised to stop producing ozone-destroying chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons [CFCs]) if they were proven to harm human health. Despite lingering scientific uncertainty, governments agreed in the Montreal Protocol to tentative measures to limit CFC production and sale. Once the science was well established, governments agreed to more comprehensive measures, including regular briefings on scientific and technological developments. This approach, however, has had less success when applied to the more difficult problem of climate change.
Climate Disruption, Not Just Global Warming
Authors: Weiss Charles
Published: October 2021

This chapter summarizes the science of climate disruption, its impacts, and the international efforts to mitigate it. It outlines the long-term environmental and social consequences of each additional degree of average global temperature rise over preindustrial levels: 2°C is bad, 3°C worse, and 4–5°C catastrophic. The international response to climate change began on the model established for stratospheric ozone—scientific advice, a framework agreement, and implementation protocols—but broke down because the climate issue is much more complicated and far-reaching and involves much more powerful political and business interests. The scientific consensus that climate change is real, is caused by humans, and demands urgent action, has been overcome in the United States by a campaign of disinformation and obfuscation. In Europe, government and business response has been more positive. Even so, the world is still far short of the action needed to stave off a climatic calamity.
Nuclear Issues
Authors: Weiss Charles
Published: October 2021

The world is closer to catastrophic, accidental nuclear war than it has been in decades. The successful regimes for arms control and nonproliferation, constructed by diplomats and scientists during the Cold War, have been undermined and deconstructed without serious efforts to replace them. The gravity of the nuclear threat is not widely recognized. Hundreds of nuclear missiles are ready for launch on a few minutes’ notice in accordance with the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD). Political leaders are increasingly willing to threaten to use nuclear weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons blur once-clear distinctions between atomic and conventional weapons, eroding the taboo against using nuclear weapons. Hypersonic missiles, autonomous weapons, and artificial intelligence make it easier to blunder into nuclear war. Nuclear issues require detailed understanding and respect for the interactions of science, technology, and world affairs. An annex to the chapter gives a brief introduction to nuclear science and technology.
No Miracle after All
Authors: Hutchison Keith
Published: October 2021

This chapter examines the challenge to a simplistic understanding of the no-miracle argument for scientific realism posed by William Thomson’s 1847 experimental confirmation that the freezing point of water is lowered by an increase in external pressure. It shows how this unexpected phenomenon had been predicted by William’s brother James on the basis of Carnot’s 1824 analysis of heat engines, and the success of the prediction was rightly seen as good evidence for a theory that was soon permanently abandoned as the formulation of modern thermodynamics replaced Carnot’s presumption that heat was conserved with the modern first law of thermodynamics. Though James’s argument makes real use of this falsehood, the quantitative difference between his account of the phenomenon and later ones turns out to be marginal. To demolish the no-miracle argument, a bigger miracle seems needed, one where a successful prediction hinges on bigger deviations from the truth.
From the Evidence of History to the History of Evidence
Authors: Psillos Stathis
Published: October 2021

This chapter looks into the transition from the Cartesian natural philosophy to the Newtonian one, and then to the Einsteinian science, making the following key point: though the shift from Descartes’s theory to Newton’s amounted to a wholesale rejection of Descartes’s theory, in the second shift, a great deal was retained; Newton’s theory of universal gravitation gave rise to a research program that informed and constrained Einstein’s theory. Newton’s theory was a lot more supported by the evidence than Descartes’s and this made it imperative for the successor theory to accommodate within it as much as possible of Newton’s theory: evidence for Newton’s theory became evidence for Einstein’s. This double case study motivates a rebranding of the “divide et impera” strategy against the pessimistic induction introduced in the book Scientific Realism, which shifts attention from the (crude) evidence of the history of science to the (refined) history of evidence for scientific theories.
Selective Scientific Realism and Truth-Transfer in Theories of Molecular Structure
Authors: Nichols Amanda J. , Penner Myron A.
Published: October 2021

This chapter examines theoretical advances in understanding molecular structures at the turn of the 20th century which resulted from the Blomstrand-Jørgensen/Werner debate about the structure of cobalt complexes. Both models made predictions testable through precipitation experiments, which eventually led to Werner’s model replacing the Blomstrand-Jørgensen model of cobalt complexes. We argue that this example of theory change fits within a selective scientific realist framework: namely, the factors which gave rise to the predictive success of the failed model survived in the theory that replaced it. We further argue that the lessons from this historical case can illuminate how two contemporary objections to realism—P. Kyle Stanford’s Problem of Unconceived Alternatives and Timothy D. Lyons’ pessimistic modus tollens argument—fall short as arguments against realism.
The Paradox of Infinite Limits
Authors: Palacios Patricia , Valente Giovanni
Published: October 2021

This chapter distinguishes between different uses of mathematical limits in physics and determines the conditions under which an infinite limit should be understood as giving rise to an “infinite idealization,” intended as a misrepresentation of the target system by way of introducing an infinite system. It points out that when infinite limits are used as infinite idealizations they can lead one to the Paradox of Infinite Limits, which allegedly poses a threat to scientific realism. In particular, this depends on whether the idealization is essential for the explanation of the physical phenomenon under investigation. Instead, other uses of infinite limits such as approximations and abstractions do not raise any substantial problem for scientific realism. The chapter also argues that, even in the case of “essential idealizations,” there are ways of coping with the alleged incompatibility between infinite idealizations and scientific realism, which ultimately rely on empirical considerations.
The Consciousness of Being Alive as a Source of Knowledge
Authors: Renz Ursula
Published: October 2021

This chapter addresses the question whether our consciousness of being alive can be a source of knowledge, and if so, of what kind of knowledge. It examines this question as it is discussed by a sequence of early modern philosophers who all implicitly consider the issue. The chapter begins with a discussion of the early modern idea of consciousness, viewed as an epistemic relation. It goes on to show that interest in the notion that we are immediately aware of being alive arose in reaction to Descartes’ dualism. For example, the Cartesian Louis de La Forge attempted, but failed, to accommodate the feeling of being alive within a dualist framework. Against this background, the chapter turns to discuss Spinoza’s early attempts to appeal to our consciousness of being alive in order to refute Cartesian scepticism. It concludes that our consciousness of being alive can be considered a source of knowledge, and that, however simple this lesson appears, it may be of moral importance.
‘Meditatio Mortis’
Authors: Jaworzyn Michael
Published: October 2021

The Cartesian Johannes Clauberg (1622-1665) sometimes refers to philosophy as meditatio mortis, which he understands as the separation of the mind from the body. This chapter outlines the ways that Clauberg amends the Cartesian accounts of the union of mind and body and of the nature of life and death in such a way as to be able to accommodate this view of philosophy. It argues that Clauberg adopts a broader account of life and death than Descartes, and alters the nature and extent of the mind’s and body’s respective causal powers to that end. Finally, the chapter looks at the implications of this conception of philosophy in Clauberg’s broader philosophical and theological context. Not only does philosophical contemplation provide no guidance in the practical sphere – including in theology – but it can be detrimental to our everyday lives.
When the Manner of Death Disagrees with the Status of Life
Authors: Tropper Sarah
Published: October 2021

This chapter discusses the development of philosophical discussions of suicide between the Middle Ages and David Hume’s ‘On Suicide’. In tracing the development of several arguments for and against suicide, it shows that the medieval phase of blanket prohibition met some resistance in Renaissance fictional accounts or renditions of Roman sources, but that early modern philosophers neither absorbed nor countered those arguments. Rather, they returned to a prohibitionist stance with arguments based on assertions about natural rights and duties or the overall goodness of God’s creation. The essay shows that Hume’s argumentation for the permissibility of suicide is an attack on the metaphysical assumptions that led his immediate predecessors to proclaim its impermissibility, rather than a response to traditional medieval arguments.
David Hume’s Philosophical Approach to Suicide
Authors: Lima Teresa Tato
Published: October 2021

Hume’s essay serves as a common point of reference within contemporary philosophical discussions about the morality of ending one’s own life. In Of Suicide, Hume seems to adopt a novel approach to the problem of how suicide should be faced: he emphasises the role that philosophy can play in assessing the morality of the act, specifically in relation to religious arguments against it. This paper explores the extent to which philosophy, as Hume conceives it, can determine the morality of suicide, viewed as a hypothetical duty towards oneself.
Affect and Effect
Authors: Marston Steph
Published: October 2021

Spinoza argues that all entities are animated. Nonetheless, his philosophy provides a systematic grounding for our everyday distinction between living and non-living things. While all bodies in motion bring about transitive effects, living things share a further capacity for bringing about transformative effects, making real changes in themselves and in other entities. Further, this capacity in living things derives from their acting in virtue of their inadequate ideas. Inadequate ideas in Spinoza’s philosophy are thus intrinsic to living things’ being the kinds of things they are, underpinning both the everyday distinction between living and non-living things and the observable varying repertoires of effect among living things themselves.
Investigative Interviewing
Authors: Shepherd Eric , Griffiths Andy
Published: October 2021

This book provides readers with the knowledge, understanding, and tools to facilitate maximum disclosure by any interviewee in order to achieve the investigative aim and objectives. At its core, the Conversation Management Approach embodies a commitment to transparency and ethical conduct, as well as respect for the individual and professional expertise: qualities that make it applicable to any investigative context, whether conducted by the police or by private investigative agencies, both in the UK and internationally. This third edition presents a hands-on, how-to guide to interviewing a wide range of interviewees (witnesses, suspects, informants, and other individuals in special circumstances), underpinned by the world-renowned PEACE model for investigative interviewing. It includes straightforward explanations of how conversation works and how a working relationship is created; the realities of influencing, persuasion, and negotiation; the process of telling and listening; how people remember and forget offence-related experience; how to assist their remembrance of offence-related detail; and how to ask the right question at the right time in the right way.
The Western Archetype as a Sufficient Hypothesis
Authors: Barker James W.
Published: October 2021

Previous generations of Diatessaron scholarship accepted a hypothetical “Old Latin Diatessaron” underlying the Latin Codex Fuldensis and the medieval Dutch and German Stuttgart, Liège, and Zurich harmonies. Recent research has instead asserted that these later vernacular harmonies derive directly from a glossed copy of the Fuldensis text. Revealing the inadequacy of that theory, this chapter reconstructs a plausible scenario for an Old Latin recension of Tatian’s Diatessaron to have emerged in Dutch territory around the same time as Codex Fuldensis was transported from Rome to Germany. It presents a comprehensive stemma Diatessaron witnesses, and it highlights the traits of the lost harmony atop the entire western Diatessaronic tradition.
Introduction
Authors: Zanetti Domingues Lidia Luisa
Published: October 2021

In the Introduction, the historiographical context in which the book is situated is sketched out, i.e. the historiography on conflict and criminal justice in late medieval Italy and Europe on one hand, and that on late medieval spirituality on the other. The open debates in these fields are highlighted, as well as how this work intends to contribute to their clarification. The rationale of choosing Siena as a case study is explained by detailing the nature of the sources available for this city in the period 1260–1330 and what sort of contribution they can offer to research on criminal justice in communal Italy. The documentation is situated in the context of the political, social, and religious history of Siena in this period. Finally, a chapter plan details the contents of the various chapters of this book.
Competing Models for Approaching Violence and Conflict and their Points of Contact
Authors: Zanetti Domingues Lidia Luisa
Published: October 2021

In the first chapter, the three models of approaching crime and violence that coexisted in late medieval Siena (the culture of revenge model, the public order model, and the penitential model) are described, and differences and similarities between them are analysed. The commonality of the language used by different social actors to talk about violence, criminal justice, and social harmony is identified as something that promoted exchanges between models. However, the chapter also highlights that, although models overlapped and the lay government tended to borrow concepts and ideas from penitential elaborations in order to promote ideas of peace and public order, the ultimate goals and visions that different social actors had were and remained different.
Defining the Complex Relationship between Mercy, Justice, and Revenge
Authors: Zanetti Domingues Lidia Luisa
Published: October 2021

Chapter 4 analyses religious views of justice in late medieval Siena through the analysis of the sermons of the Dominican Ambrogio Sansedoni and the Franciscan Bindo Scremi. It evaluates the influence of the theology of atonement (as proposed by Anselm of Canterbury) on Sienese pastoral literature, and it concludes that sermons aimed at the laypeople in communal Italy tended to favour the more traditional redemption theology. The main effect of this preference for religious conceptions of divine and human justice was that of conceiving of it as a spectrum going from strict retribution to complete forgiveness, but with a requirement to favour the latter over the former. Religious discourses which compared divine and human justice, moreover, are explored as loci in which criticism, albeit veiled, of local reforms of criminal justice could be expressed.
The EU and the WTO
Authors: Young Alasdair R.
Published: October 2021

This chapter introduces the debates about the effectiveness of the World Trade Organization and the European Union’s nature as an international actor. The chapter makes three analytically significant points. First, the imposition of enforcement tariffs is very rare and comes long after the initial decision about whether to comply has been taken, which means that it is extremely unlikely that exporters will intervene in the compliance process, at least initially. Second, the importance that policy makers attach to WTO compatibility varies systematically, which helps to explain when the EU is more likely not to comply. Third, the EU considers the WTO to be legitimate, which is a necessary condition for a constructivist account of compliance to be a viable alternative. The chapter also situates the WTO’s dispute settlement system relative to international cooperation more broadly and outlines how it operates. It puts the EU’s compliance performance in context and, through a discussion of the EU’s efforts to ensure first-order compliance, introduces the EU’s policy making process. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the analytical implications of the EU’s relationship with the WTO.
The Limits of Demand-Side Explanations
Authors: Young Alasdair R.
Published: October 2021

This chapter presents the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of all twenty-three EU policies that were successfully challenged before the WTO with reasonable periods to comply expiring before the end of 2019 and for which policy change was necessary for compliance. The chapter discusses how the conditions associated with compliance in the literature—the power of the complainant, the nature of the policy, and the number of veto players—are operationalized. The QCA finds that none of the conditions were necessary for compliance. It does, however, suggest (in line with expectations) that trade policy was sufficient for prompt and sufficient policy change. Contrary to expectations, however, the QCA strongly suggests that the power of the complainant was not associated with policy change. The analysis also found no association between the number of veto players and policy change. The QCA, therefore, contradicts the demand-side explanation of compliance and is consistent with the supply-side explanation. The chapter explores why the power of the complainant is not associated with policy change. It also contextualizes and justifies the case studies.
Genetically Modified Crops
Authors: Young Alasdair R.
Published: October 2021

This chapter presents the EU’s responses with respect to three closely related policies: the approval of genetically modified (GM) crops for sale and (separately) for cultivation and efforts to lift member state bans on EU-approved GM varieties. These most similar cases differ in outcome; with the EU resuming approvals for sale (a change sufficient to placate Argentina and Canada, but not the United States), but not for cultivation and failing to address member state bans despite very permissive decision rules. In these cases, no tariffs were threatened and there was no exporter mobilization. Commission trade officials did push to accelerate approvals. The Commission, which was more favorably disposed toward biotechnology than most of the member states, was able, with the help of very a permissive decision rule, to overcome opposition to approvals for sale, but not for cultivation, reflecting greater concern among regulators about the environmental impacts of GM cultivation than about the safety of GM varieties. The member state governments also balked at forcing their peers to change their policies. There is little evidence that the WTO’s adverse ruling affected any of the protagonists’ preferences.
Sugar
Authors: Young Alasdair R.
Published: October 2021

This chapter discusses what should have been a hard case for compliance, the EU’s sugar export subsidies. The complainants—Australia, Brazil, and Thailand—were relatively weak, the subsidies were part of the EU’s common agricultural policy, some of the exports were related to the EU’s development policy, and there was a high threshold for policy change. Contrary to expectations, however, the EU complied promptly and sufficiently to appease the complainants. This chapter argues that the WTO ruling had relatively little to do with that outcome. Rather, the EU’s sugar regime was undermined by other policy developments and the reform process had begun before the WTO ruling. The change necessary to comply with the ruling, therefore, was minor and essentially reiterated an existing requirement to limit subsidized sugar exports to its WTO commitments in the light of the WTO’s interpretation of what the relevant exports were. There was no participant expansion because of the ruling nor is there any indication that it caused engaged actors to change their preferences.
The Role of the Body and Action-Readiness
Authors: Mitchell Jonathan
Published: October 2021

This chapter addresses the role of the body in emotional experience with reference to the bodily-attitudinal view as defended by Deonna and Teroni. While there is much of interest in this proposal, there are significant objections which undermine its plausibility. However, after critiquing that bodily-attitudinal view, it is suggested that bodily feelings, of an action-ready kind, can serve as phenomenological enrichments of non-bodily felt valenced attitudes. Finally, it is argued that in many cases the phenomenology of felt action readiness is a matter of the particular objects of emotional experience seeming to possess ‘demand character’, as calling for specific actions. Consideration of the role of the body and action readiness in emotional experience allows for a critique of a significant competitor to the feeling-towards-value view and leads to a more nuanced picture of the theory developed and defended in Chapter 4.
The Fall of the Angels
Authors: Wiebe Gregory D.
Published: October 2021

For Augustine, angels became demons in their failure to love God above all. This chapter gives an overview of that fall, beginning with Augustine’s understanding of evil as pride’s apostasy from God, moving on to examine two issues that confront him concerning the devil’s fall. The first is the question of whether that fall can have any cause, which is explored in terms of Augustine’s basic commitment to the non-competitive relationship between the created will and the God that creates and empowers it. The second issue is Augustine’s understanding of when and in what conditions the devil fell, and the development of Augustine’s conviction that all angels must have been established in the good at their creation. What both discussions clarify, however, is that these issues arise because of how difficult it is to maintain the logical consequences of the demons’ lack of animal bodies. This fundamental difference of embodiment between demons and humans is made clear in Augustine’s treatment of the story of the fall of Adam and Eve, where the comparison of the fall of the angels to the human fall reveals a crucial component of Augustine’s demonology: demons must assume some kind of embodiment in order to interact with humans in history.
The Rule of Law
Authors: Pech Laurent
Published: October 2021

The history of the rule of law in the EU Treaty framework has been one of gradual but extensive process of entrenchment and formal enshrinement. When comparing the evolution of the Treaty framework to the evolution of the EU’s rule of law toolbox, it is difficult not to be struck by the contrast between the gradual evolution of the former with the rapid development of the latter. This swift development of the EU’s rule of law toolbox may be understood both in a positive and negative way: it may be positively understood as the sign of a broad consensus regarding the critical importance to uphold the rule of law. Conversely, this evolution may be understood as a failure to fully confront the ‘rule of law backsliding’ threat by instead focusing in a quasi-permanent new instrument creation cycle at the EU level.
Free Movement of Persons and Services
Authors: O’Leary Síofra , Sánchez Sara Iglesias
Published: October 2021

This chapter maps the most relevant aspects of the evolution of the free movement of persons and services through the analysis of the main legislative and judicial developments in both fields. After looking at the salient legislative transformations in the last decades and the effects of codification—mostly through Directives 2004/38 and 2006/123—the chapter explores the parameters that delimit the three different freedoms concerned—workers, establishment, and services. A reassessment of the place and scope of the provisions on the free movement of persons is then offered through a critical examination of the interrelationship between the regulatory framework and case law concerning the free movement of persons, the status of Union citizenship, and developments in the distinct but related Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
EU Anti-Discrimination Law: Navigating Sameness and Difference
Authors: Bell Mark
Published: October 2021

This chapter describes the evolution of EU anti-discrimination law. It begins by looking at the founding elements of this law, which were provisions in the EU Treaties on nationality discrimination and sex discrimination. Next it examines the expansion of the law during the past twenty years to address other forms of discrimination, such as that based on racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation. The chapter explores the increasing significance in discrimination case law of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The chapter concludes by reflecting on contemporary challenges. These include addressing intersectionality (discrimination on more than one ground) and understanding when the pursuit of equality requires accommodation of difference (such as religious diversity).
The Global Phenomenon
Authors: Joshi Mahesh K. , Klein J.R.
Published: October 2021

This book is not about globalization. It is difficult to comment on any set or sector of changes in today’s dialogue without talking about globalization or acknowledging it as the elephant in the room. Globalization, in its essence, is simply growth on a worldwide scale. It is the process of amalgamation of influences from economies, society, and cultures from around the world. This process of growing and expanding exists throughout the entire world. We live in an interconnected world and no amount of hand-wringing, whining, fear mongering, or wishful thinking will change that fact. The best we can do is try to stay relevant. This chapter examines pragmatic observations by practitioners, business people, academics, and entrepreneurs thinking about that relevancy. It sets the stage for this presentation of perspective by exploring the history, technology, business and economics, government and governance, and the blending of cultures that continues to change everything.
Regulating Global Commerce
Authors: Joshi Mahesh K. , Klein J.R.
Published: October 2021

Over the last half-century, the number of countries in the world has increased from 106 in 1950 to 195 in 2018 and technology has driven increases in the speed of business, global connectivity, and complexity. In this environment, it is no wonder that regulatory systems are challenged. The World Trade Organization, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund were created to establish a framework for economic cooperation and development with the central theme of creating a stable and prosperous global economy. The goals of these organizations remain the same, but their work is constantly changing. The technologically driven disruption in economic models, the emergence of developing economies, and changing financial systems present an evolutionary environment that requires challenging solutions. The question for consideration is, are the world’s regulators up to the challenge?
Ideology versus Ideology
Authors: Joshi Mahesh K. , Klein J.R.
Published: October 2021

We cannot examine human history without recognizing a basic character of the human animal. Humans are not only sentient but also cognizant beings with the ability to apply critical thinking skills, reach conclusions, resolve problems, and embrace ideologies that are not always universal. This characteristic has led us down various paths both beneficial and detrimental. Today’s world remains true to its legacy with observable trends in diverse ideas impacting an interconnected world. This chapter examines some of these diversities by looking at the history of nationalism and internationalism, how borders tend to be designed, the rise of the nation-state, the rise in global governance, and multicultural thoughts and attitudes around the world.
Digitize or Disappear
Authors: Joshi Mahesh K. , Klein J.R.
Published: October 2021

In 2011 the profile of the top five businesses by market capitalization contained one company that was digitally oriented. Five years later in 2016, the top five largest companies were all in the digitizing business. There is little dispute that this is the age of technology and that the world is being reshaped by dissemination and development of devices that touch every part of human existence. From simple tasks like buying groceries to cutting-edge innovative advances like machine learning, artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, cryptocurrencies, and e-services, including government interaction with citizens, technology is dramatically changing the way we live.
Smart Selling on the E Platform
Authors: Joshi Mahesh K. , Klein J.R.
Published: October 2021

No matter what part of the globe we live in, technology is part of daily life. Whether invited or tolerated, the digital presence continues to emerge and propagate in every area of life. Ignored, criticized, or embraced the fact that technology is taking over the world must be acknowledged. From agriculture to aviation, electronics to energy, medicine to military, or communication to commerce even a casual examination reveals the explosive impact of innovations in technologies that have one common trait. They are disruptive and nurture transformation that is changing everything. The emergence of a global e-commerce platform has seen increasing participation on the part of businesses, governments, and individual consumers. This chapter looks at one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces, examining their model and impact on demand and supply.
Brexit and the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Authors: Connolly Eileen , Doyle John
Published: October 2021

This chapter focuses on the political situation in Northern Ireland, outlining the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on cross-community relations. It reflects on the consequences that social change will have on the option for Irish unification. It also provides a background of the Northern Ireland Protocol, analysing why the protection of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement became a core issue for the EU and why a sea border emerged as the agreed solution. The chapter examines the political cleavages in Northern Ireland that underpin the deep conflict over the location of the post-Brexit border. It also elaborates why the location of the border will remain a focus for political conflict, although the Northern Ireland Protocol allowed the EU and the UK to reach agreement.
Trade in Goods and Level Playing Field
Authors: Mariani Paola , Sacerdoti Giorgio
Published: October 2021

This chapter examines the most conspicuous part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and sheds light on the features of the EU-UK free trade agreement (FTA). It explains that the TCA is an atypical trade agreement that raises barriers rather than removing them. It also examines the new custom formalities and rules of origins established by the TCA, clarifying the level playing field provisions enshrined in the deal, and its enforcement in the field of subsidies, labour protections, and environmental standards. The chapter examines the basic features of the trade in goods regime of the TCA, the rules of origin, focusing on level playing field (LPF) rules enshrined in the treaty. It discusses the FTA’s substantive content and mechanisms of enforcement, including dispute settlement and TCA, EU-UK, FTA, trade agreement, labour protection, environmental standards, level playing field remedial measures.
Governance: Managing Bilateral Relations
Authors: Levrat Nicolas
Published: October 2021

This chapter provides an overview of the new governance framework for EU-UK cooperation, exploring the mechanisms established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in managing bilateral relations. It examines the complex institutional machinery created by the TCA, including the Partnership Council, a dispute resolution system, and dozens of committees and sub-committees. As a consequence of the thin material scope of the TCA, its institutional mechanism will become the framework for continuing future negotiation between the parties. The chapter warns that the ongoing mistrust between the partners to the bilateral relation does not bode well for cooperation ahead, as a degree of trust is a necessary precondition for any efficient governance scheme.
Sovereignty: Driving British Divergence
Authors: Laffan Brigid
Published: October 2021

This chapter highlights sovereignty as another concept that, like governance, has shaped Brexit, and is influencing the new EU-UK relations. It argues that the entire process of leaving the EU can be explained in light of the peculiar British conception of sovereignty. It also clarifies how this legal and political view seems at odds with the reality of global governance and transnational regulation and cannot be reconciled with European integration. The chapter explores how and why the idea of sovereignty proved so powerful in the Brexit process and confirms what a ‘sovereignty-first’ Brexit entailed. It addresses why the UK opted for this form of future relationship with the EU in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
Religion in the World City
Authors: Jacob W. M.
Published: October 2021

London was the focus of competition among a wide variety of mostly Christian religious bodies arising from recent legislation granting freedom to worship and full citizenship rights to non-Anglicans with constitutional implications for religious bodies and their adherents. There were considerable concerns about the falling away of especially poor people from religious practice. A series of censuses of attendance at religious worship undertaken during the period fuelled anxieties about the impact of urbanization and industrialization on religion, and prompted Christian churches to competitive missional activity and energy. This chapter questions the value of censuses of attendance at places of worship for evaluating religiosity. It argues that non-attendance at a place of worship does not necessarily indicate non-belief, and that wider evidence needs to be taken into account in identifying the extent and variety and impact of people’s religiosity. When this is done, it is clear that a higher proportion of a broad range of London’s population participated in a wider variety of ways in religious activities than any other voluntary activities. However, patterns of religious practice and religiosity changed significantly during the period, a feature of which was a decline in regular attendance at places of worship, indicating a privatization of religious expression.
The Church of England in Victorian London 1857–1901
Authors: Jacob W. M.
Published: October 2021

With a new Bishop of London after 1856, mission strategies were reviewed and revitalized, focusing on outreach and recruiting mission clergy and identifying mission districts, as well as establishing a permanent agency for fundraising to support continuing church-building and mission outreach including among occupational groups, and mobilizing women as volunteers. Individual parishes in poor districts began to develop extensive programmes of activities in addition to schools and catechetical instruction, focusing on work with different gender and age groups, including encouragement to self-sufficiency, and providing character-building recreational activities. Initiatives were launched by public schools and university colleges to promote mission outreach and sympathetic relations between classes, and social research and social work in the ever-increasing poor districts. During this period the Church of England transformed itself, theologically, culturally, and financially in response to London’s astonishing growth and the intensification of concerns about poverty.
The Virtues of Attachment
Authors: Cox Keith S. , Lott Micah
Published: October 2021

In this chapter, we explore ways to integrate the psychological theory of attachment with the (meta)ethical framework of Aristotelian naturalism. In particular, we consider how attachment theory might contribute to our understanding of human flourishing and the virtues, understood along broadly Aristotelian lines. Could attachment theory support, undermine, or otherwise shape our understanding of living well? We approach this question by focusing on a specific disagreement over how best to parent—in a warm and attentive style, or a more discipline-focused ‘tiger mom’ style. We examine various forms such a disagreement might take, and we identify different ways one might appeal to attachment theory. The result is a conceptual roadmap and more clarity on how attachment theory (and the empirical sciences more broadly) could—and could not—contribute to our understanding of how best to live.
Education for Virtue
Authors: Irwin Terence
Published: October 2021

The chapter explores Aquinas’ account of the education of the passions, the role of educating the passions in the acquisition of the virtues, and thereby the connection between the acquisition of virtue and secure attachment. In Aquinas’ view, virtues of character are primarily virtues of the ‘passions of the soul’ (i.e. roughly, the emotions), not of the will or the intellect. What does his view tell us about the role of the passions in the acquisition and the exercise of the virtues? According to Aquinas, the passions are quasi-rational, and therefore open to persuasion and education; they are persuaded and educated primarily by the direction of one’s attention; and this direction of attention is not only necessary for the acquisition of the virtues, but also an essential constituent of them. Secure attachment is associated with the capacity confidently to explore the world—that is, to redirect one’s attention onto new objects. The redirection of attention is, according to Aquinas, one of the key capacities underlying reason’s ability to educate the passions. So Aquinas helps us to make sense of the association between secure attachment and the acquisition of the virtues.
Attachment, Virtue, and the Second Person
Authors: Schaubroeck Katrien
Published: October 2021

This chapter connects attachment theory to moral philosophy: it defends the thesis that responsive parenting leads not only to secure attachment but also to the development of moral capacities. Both empirical evidence and conceptual arguments are offered, relying on work from attachment theory and meta-ethics. Available explanations of the connection between secure attachment and virtue (e.g. in terms of internal working models) are analysed and rejected in favour of a new explanation that emphasizes the relational or, as it is sometimes called, second-personal nature of morality. While the chapter aims foremost to explain why secure attachment is predictive of many good things in life, including a propensity for virtue, it also shows why the ensuing recommendations about how to organize childcare must be modest.
Attachment, Addiction, and Vices of Valuing
Authors: Wonderly Monique
Published: October 2021

Addiction and certain varieties of interpersonal attachment share strikingly similar psycho-behavioural structures. For example, both the addicted and the interpersonally attached often report a common pattern of cognition, affect, and motivation directed toward the relevant object. This pattern includes, inter alia, recurring and recalcitrant thoughts about the object that captivate one’s attention, intense longing for the object, feelings of bliss upon obtaining the object, and feelings of dejection when one is deprived of it for too long. These thoughts, feelings, and desires tend to motivate the agent to seek out the object for various kinds of interaction. Neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers have often adduced these similarities between addiction and attachment to argue that many typical cases of romantic love represent addictions to one’s partner and thus might be appropriate candidates for medical treatment. In this chapter, I argue for the relatively neglected thesis that some paradigmatic cases of addiction are aptly characterized as emotional attachments to their objects. This has implications for how we should understand the nature of addiction and for the ethics of attachment more broadly.
Beyond the Human? A Critique of Transhumanism
Authors: Fuchs Thomas
Published: October 2021

According to transhumanists, the human being in its current shape is fundamentally imperfect. Consequently, they propagate possibilities of enhancing and reshaping one’s body, culminating in the idea of virtual immortality, i.e., transferring one’s mind as software onto more durable substrates (“mind uploading”). Such ideas are based on a blatant mind-body dualism: the body is regarded as a material vehicle, which is at our free disposal; the mind is considered to be a substrate-independent information structure. In contrast, the chapter argues that humans are neither natural machines nor pure minds but living beings in the first place. The idea of mind uploading is thus based on an untenable neuro-reductionism, which wrongly assumes the brain to be the only substrate of the mind. Similarly, the ideas of optimizing the body overlook the necessary balance of functions that has evolved in human evolution.
Stoic Wisdom
Authors: Sherman Nancy
Published: October 2021

Stoicism has made a comeback as the ideal ancient philosophy for those seeking calm in times of stress and uncertainty. For many, it has become the new Zen, with meditation techniques that help individuals face whatever life throws their way. The Stoics address a key question of the time: how can one be master of one’s fate when the outside world threatens to unmoor one’s well-being? Making Stoic wisdom relevant and accessible, Sherman distills time-honored techniques for building modern resilience. Drawing on the thought of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca, and others, Sherman argues that Stoic resilience is miscast as rugged self-reliance. One is at home in the world, the Stoics taught, when one is connected to others in cooperative efforts. While self-mastery is essential, one draws on one’s deepest relationships for true strength and resilience. Bringing ancient wisdom to bear on twenty-first-century settings—from Silicon Valley leaders in search of lifehacks, to first responders in a pandemic, to soldiers on the battlefield—Sherman shows how Stoicism can both prepare individuals for an uncertain future and help them reduce the stress and anxiety of modern life. Stoic Wisdom will appeal to anyone feeling helpless or looking for deeper, meaningful strength and goodness in addressing life’s biggest and smallest challenges.
Managing Your Emotions
Authors: Sherman Nancy
Published: October 2021

What emotions are appropriate for a Stoic? Is being peeved, saddened, or angry appropriate for a Stoic? Or should a Stoic just take it all in stride, be calm, and carry on? In short, do Stoics have emotional skin in the game? If yes, what kinds of emotions? The Stoics posit three layers of emotional experience—ordinary emotions that are forms of desire, fear, pain, and pleasure; good emotions aimed at virtue and the avoidance of vice; and pre-emotions or bodily agitations—like blushing, turning pale in fright, sudden tears or trembling. Many ordinary emotions can be controlled. Seneca famously takes up the case of anger. But does he leave adequate room for anger that can be harnessed for good without either ravaging its possessor or fixing on futile fantasies of restitution through payback? What of grief? And how does one manage emotions? Emotions are beliefs, on the Stoic view. Managing emotions involves a kind of cognitive therapy.