In the intricate tapestry of Iran’s geopolitical, cultural, and economic landscape, the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed profound changes. This essay delves into the multifaceted impact of the pandemic on Iranians’ lives, dissecting the specific nuances shaped by the complex biopolitical environment. We unravel the subtle imprints of COVID-19 on the biopolitical discourse, exploring how it intricately intertwines with daily life, social interactions, and the nation’s health system.

Originally published 1961. Translation of "Meditaciones del Quijote :Meditacion preliminar. Meditacion primera." (1914). Contents: Reader...; Preliminary Meditation; First Meditation (Brief Treatise on the Novel).

Objectives: To analyse the decision making for end of life care for patients with cancer at a teaching hospital in Japan at two periods 10 years apart.Design and setting: Retrospective study conducted in a 550 bed community teaching hospital in Okinawa, Japan.Patients: There were 124 terminally ill cancer patients admitted either in 1989 and 1999 for end of life care with sufficient data to permit analysis.Main measurements: Basic demographic data, notification to the patient that he or she had cancer, patient (...) involvement in do not resuscitate orders, and various medical interventions which were performed in the month prior to the patient’s death were evaluated.Results: In 1989 none of the patients were notified of their diagnosis; in 1999 five patients were informed . Of the 113 patients with a written DNR order, none were involved in consenting to the DNR order. In the month before death, patients in both groups received non-palliative treatments such as feeding tube placements , total parenteral nutrition , and intravenous albumin infusion . Morphine use increased significantly in 1999 compared with the 1989 group.Conclusions: The majority of patients dying of cancer were still not informed of their diagnosis and were seldom involved in DNR decision making at a teaching hospital in Japan. There was no change in the number of potentially futile interventions that were performed but morphine use increased. Modern ethical education is urgently needed in Japanese medical practice to improve decision making process in the end of life care. (shrink)

In the present paper, we consider a bio-economic equilibrium model which describes the dynamics of a fish population fished by several fishermen seeking to maximize their profits. Each fisherman tries to find the fishing effort which maximizes his profit at biological equilibrium without any consultation with others, but all of them have to respect two constraints: (1) the sustainable management of the resources ; and (2) the preservation of the biodiversity. With all these considerations, our problem leads to a generalized (...) Nash equilibrium problem. The objective is to show that even when a fisherman i\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$i$$\end{document} provides a fishing effort equal to twice the fishing effort of a fisherman j\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$j$$\end{document}, then the profit of fisherman i\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$i$$\end{document} is not necessarily double that of fisherman j\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$j$$\end{document}. (shrink)

Two thought experiments are discussed which suggest, first, a geometric interpretation of the concept of a (say, vector) potential (i.e., as a kinematic quantity associated with a transformation between moving frames of reference suitably related to the problem) and, second, that, in a quantum treatment one should extend the notion of the equivalence principle to include not only the equivalence of inertial forces with suitable “real” forces, but also the equivalence of potentials of such inertial forces and the potentials of (...) suitable real forces. The two types of cancellation are physically independent of each other, because of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Finally, we show that the latter effect itself can be understood “geometrically” as a kinematic effect arising upon the transformation between the two reference frames. (shrink)

The most important moral question concerned with the problem of political obligation relates to the limits of obedience of a citizen owed to the state. The problem of political obligation raises the questions such as – (1) To what extent the citizen has an obligation to obey the laws of the state? (2) Is the citizen of a state, whether democratic or otherwise, under an obligation to obey the unjust laws of the state? There are two different viewpoints concerning the (...) character of obligation to obey the laws of the State. (1) The first position states -- “one has an absolute obligation to obey the law and therefore disobedience to the state law is never justified”. (2) The second position asserts -- “one has a prima facie obligation to obey the law, but this obligation can be overridden by conflictingobligations. Hence disobedience to the state law can be justified in the presence of outweighing circumstances”. (shrink)

The most important Jewish source for Hermann Cohen's rational theology of Judaism is Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed . Indeed, the Guide is of such importance that Cohen bases his entire idealistic interpretation of the Jewish religion on it. In particular, Cohen derives his discussion of the continued authority of Mosaic law from the Guide . What follows focuses on Cohen's discussion of the “Law” in his Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism , and attempts to fill (...) a gap in recent Cohen research by dealing with questions of halakhah and the interpretation of rabbinical sources. Cohen's original reading of, inter alia, Guide III.31-32 led him to formulate a theory wherein Mosaic law—and by extension Judaism—guarantees the highest end of human morality. In identifying God with this end, Cohen eventually finds the ultimate criterion for the decision of how much of traditional Jewish law must still be observed in the need for the preservation of the purest monotheism—another central point in Maimonides' philosophy. (shrink)

My book comprises a lengthy introduction and a complete translation of Laozi's classic, with comments and notes on individual chapters. The introduction covers Daoism as the counterculture in China and beyond; the originality and distinctiveness of Laozi's psychological and sociopolitical thoughts; the influence and contemporary relevance of the classic to life in the 21st century; and insights on bilingualism I have gained in the process of translation. This is the very first interpretation of Daoism from a psychological perspective. The topics (...) covered include Laozi's thoughts and their points of contact with modern psychology, the psychology of actions and nonactions, the cognitive and emotional aspects of the classic, psychological applications, difficulties of translation from a linguistic viewpoint, bilingualism-biculturalism, and a case study of my own bilingual experiences. My book contains the first translation of the Beida Laozi (Peking University Laozi), which predates the current received text by several centuries. I have renamed the classic as The Classic of Virtue and the Dao (DeDaoJing) to acknowledge that, in the Beida Laozi, the chapters on De (virtue) precede those on the Dao (Way). The target audience comprises scholars, college students, as well as educated adults interested in psychology and religion or spirituality; mental health professionals interested in holistic health. Courses that may adopt the book include comparative religion, cultural or Asian studies, translation, bilingualism, and multiculturalism. (shrink)