ʻEdut be-Hosef -- Derekh ʻets ha-ḥayim -- Refuʼat ha-nefesh -- ha-Tapuaḥ.

kerekh 1. Ba-halakhah uve-agadah -- kerekh 2. [without special title].

In this paper I argue that a Bio-Social conception of “race” is a socially salient conception within the United States. This conception is “socially salient” in the sense that is demonstrative of public understanding and public use of the race concept within context of the United States and its member institutions. This conception is “Bio-Social” in the sense that a set of biological and social properties form the necessary conditions for “race” and “racial group membership.” I explain that these biological (...) and social properties are the social interpretation of ancestral relations to geographically and culturally specified groups. (shrink)

A new view of the functional role of the left anterior cortex in language use is proposed. The experimental record indicates that most human linguistic abilities are not localized in this region. In particular, most of syntax (long thought to be there) is not located in Broca's area and its vicinity (operculum, insula, and subjacent white matter). This cerebral region, implicated in Broca's aphasia, does have a role in syntactic processing, but a highly specific one: It is the neural home (...) to receptive mechanisms involved in the computation of the relation between transformationally moved phrasal constituents and their extraction sites (in line with the Trace-Deletion Hypothesis). It is also involved in the construction of higher parts of the syntactic tree in speech production. By contrast, basic combinatorial capacities necessary for language processing – for example, structure-building operations, lexical insertion – are not supported by the neural tissue of this cerebral region, nor is lexical or combinatorial semantics. The dense body of empirical evidence supporting this restrictive view comes mainly from several angles on lesion studies of syntax in agrammatic Broca's aphasia. Five empirical arguments are presented: experiments in sentence comprehension, cross-linguistic considerations (where aphasia findings from several language types are pooled and scrutinized comparatively), grammaticality and plausibility judgments, real-time processing of complex sentences, and rehabilitation. Also discussed are recent results from functional neuroimaging and from structured observations on speech production of Broca's aphasics. Syntactic abilities are nonetheless distinct from other cognitive skills and are represented entirely and exclusively in the left cerebral hemisphere. Although more widespread in the left hemisphere than previously thought, they are clearly distinct from other human combinatorial and intellectual abilities. The neurological record (based on functional imaging, split-brain and right-hemisphere-damaged patients, as well as patients suffering from a breakdown of mathematical skills) indicates that language is a distinct, modularly organized neurological entity. Combinatorial aspects of the language faculty reside in the human left cerebral hemisphere, but only the transformational component (or algorithms that implement it in use) is located in and around Broca's area. Key Words: agrammatism; aphasia; Broca's area; cerebral localization; dyscalculia; functional neuroanatomy; grammatical transformation; modularity; neuroimaging; syntax; trace deletion. (shrink)

Beyond Scandal will give you the resources to talk to your kinds about: Sex, Gossip, Lying, Politics, Scandal, Friendship, Values, Leadership, Dirty Jokes.

1. Śiḥot, ʻetsot, sipurim, ṿe-hadrakhot maʻaśiyot li-veniyat ha-ḳesher ben bene ha-zug ... -- 2. Be-parashat ha-shavuʻa.

Determining Risk Factors and Demographic Patterns of Suicide in Tehran Suicide refers to the death of a person that is primarily achieved by self-harm. Today, it is considered one of the major public health issues. One of the important risk factors associated with attempted suicide is social relations. This study is a descriptive and analytical study that aims to identify the suicide rate, the risk factors in suicide, and the methods of suicide. The findings show that there is a significant (...) relationship between suicide and demographic variables that include age, sex, educational level, adherence to religion, and occupation. This research also shows the psychological factors that lead to suicide include depression, addiction, lack of social activities, and mental disorders caused by chronic disease. (shrink)

Contributed articles presented at the Colombo Conference on "Building Spirituality and Culture of Peace Beyond Globalization" held on Aug. 13-16, 2003; with reference to Asia and Africa.

This article aims to explain proportional equality and the way to comprehend the inequality of treatment found in Aristotle’s theory of justice. One of the ethical principles in a fair distribution of goods is equality, which is commonly understood as equality of treatment and outcomes. Surpassing this common understanding, if not in reverse, Aristotle offers proportional equality, in the sense that a fair distribution of goods must take into consideration balance or suitability between the goods distributed and the quality or (...) virtue of the recipients.This would mean that not everyone or only those who are worthy are entitled to obtain the goods being distributed. It seems that Aristotle’s theory of justice implies inequality of treatment according to excellence.In light of this, how should this unequal treatment be understood? Through qualitative analysis, this article suggests teleological reasoning, a model of thought that proceeds from the telos or goal and works backwards to Þ nd out the right means or suitable subjects to realize that end. The article, therefore, begins with the description of Aristotle’s theory of justice, proportional equality, and teleological reasoning. In the final section, I will consider the inequality of treatment by analyzing concrete cases of various subsidies provided by modernstates. The fnding shows that Aristotle’s theory of justice is significant in guaranteeing the realization of the goal of goods being distributed Key-words: justice, proportional equality, unequal treatment, subsidy, teleological reasoning, Aristotle Abstrak: Artikel ini bertujuan menjelaskan kesamaan proporsional dan cara memahami ketidaksamaan perlakuan yang muncul dalam teori keadilan Aristoteles. Salah satu prinsip etis pembagian barang yang adil adalah kesamaan, yang secara umum dipahami sebagai kesamaan perlakuan dan hasil. Berbeda dan bahkan melampaui pemahaman umum, Aristoteles menawarkan kesamaan proporsional, dalam arti bahwa pembagian barang yang adil harus mempertimbangkan keseimbangan atau kesesuaian antara barang yang dibagikan dengan kualitas atau keutamaan para penerima. Itu berarti, tidak semua orang atau hanya orang-orang yang dianggap layak berhak mendapatkan barang yang didistribusikan. Tampaknya, teori keadilan Aristoteles mengisyaratkan ketidaksamaan perlakuan atau membuat perbedaan berdasarkan keunggulan. Bagaimana kita memahami ketidaksamaan perlakuan ini? Lewat analisis kualitatif, artikel ini mengajukan pemikiran teleologis, sebuah model pemikiran yang bertolak dari tujuan dan bekerja ke belakang untuk menemukan sarana-sarana yang tepat atau subjek-subjek yang cocok untuk merealisasikan tujuan tersebut. Karena itu artikel akan dimulai dengan uraian tentang inti teori keadilan Aristoteles, kesamaan proporsional, dan pemikiran teleologis. Padabagian akhir, saya akan mempertimbangkan ketidaksamaan perlakuan dengan menganalisis kasus konkret berbagai model subsidi yang diberikan oleh negara-negara modern. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa teorikeadilan Aristoteles penting untuk menjamin terealisasinya tujuan barang-barang yang dibagikan. Kata-Kata Kunci: keadilan, kesamaan proporsional, ketidaksamaan perlakuan, pemikiran teleologis, subsidi, Aristoteles. (shrink)

Speeches and persuasion dominate Plato’s Crito. This paper, paying particular attention to the final passage in the dialogue, shows that the focus on speeches, persuasion and allusions to many other elements of rhetoric is an integral part of Plato’s severe criticism of democracy, one of the main points of the Crito. Speeches allow members of a democracy – represented in our dialogue by Crito – firstly to break the law for self-interested reasons while considering themselves still to be law-abiding citizens, (...) and secondly to feel that they are in a tolerant society preferring logos/persuasive speech above bia/compulsion. Socrates counters Crito’s speeches with speeches of his own, not only to defeat him at his own game, but also to make him aware how dangerous the game is. Real knowledge is preferable to speeches, but a democracy without speeches and rhetoric is doomed. (shrink)

This paper criticizes one of Vlastos’ well-known articles, in which he purports to reveal what he takes to be one of Socrates’ great achievements in ethics. By using what I take to be a more appropriate way of analysing Plato’s dialogues, I show how the same paragraph which is used by Vlastos to corroborate his case proves, in fact, the opposite. What Vlastos regards as “Socrates’ Rejection of Retaliation” turns out to be nothing but an instrument used by Socrates to (...) make Crito look at his own behavior towards the polis. In a wider context, Plato’s Crito is shown to be a severe criticism of democracy, where the lex talionis is rather one of its dominant tools used both by the state and its citizens. (shrink)

Deals with the whole complex of relations between the land of Israel, the Jewish Torah and the people of Israel from the Pre-Zionist period until the establishment of the State of Israel. The book examines the dynamics of those relations through the modernization of Jewish society, and the problem of Jewish identity vis-a-vis modernity. The discussion follows historical events in both philosophy and everyday life. It explores the anti-Zionist sphere and also discusses the attitudes towards the conflict of religion and (...) nationalism in the world of religious Zionism. The dispute between advocates of a religious concept of the community and proponents of a secular nation revolved primarily around perceptions of the ideal relationship between the religious and national entities. One group sought to make religion a tool of the nation; the other sought to make the nation a tool of religion." --Publisher provided. (shrink)

In this paper I shall offer new definitions for what seem to be the most dominant terms in Epicurus’ theory of pleasures - “kinetic” and “katastematic”. While most of the scholarly literature treats these terms as entirely concerned with states of motion and states of stability, I shall argue that the distinction concerns whether pain is or is not removed by this or that pleasure. As the removal of pain is a necessary condition for the Epicurean goal of ataraxia and (...) aponia, “katastematic” pleasure, having to do with the removal of pain, is the necessary pleasure pertaining both to the process of removing pain and to its result, namely the absence of pain, while “kinetic” pleasure is an unnecessary pleasure having nothing to do with the removal of pain, e.g. it starts after pain has been removed. If my analysis and interpretation prove correct, the two conventional classifications - “kinetic-katastematic” and “necessary-unnecessary” - turn out to be referring to the same phenomenon and are aspects of one classification. Moreover, this new interpretation resolves some of the main problems arising from our testimonia concerning “kinetic” and “katastematic” pleasures. (shrink)

I begin with a characterization of neurolinguistic theories, trying to pinpoint some general properties that an account of brain/language relations should have. I then address specific criticisms made in the commentaries regarding the syntactic theory assumed in the target article, properties of the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH) and the Tree-Pruning Hyothesis (TPH), other experimental results from aphasia, and findings from functional neuroimaging. Despite the criticism, the picture of the limited role of Broca's area remains unchanged.

In this article, I propose novel answers to three longstanding questions in the scholarship on Plato’s Crito: (1) Why does Socrates choose to respond to Crito in the second part of the conversation by using a speech?; (2) Why does this speech employ personification?; and (3) Why are the Laws, specifically, personified? The answers to these questions will reveal Socrates’ method of treating Crito and his worldview. The latter considers himself to be a good man for a twofold reason, namely, (...) he is concerned not only about helping a friend but also about the possible negative consequences of doing so. Crito takes care not to harm anyone while saving his friend and wishes to use only legitimate means. But Socrates will ultimately show Crito how, in fact, he uses violence to achieve his goals; how he harms others in the process, and how he is not nearly as good a friend as he believes himself to be. The result is a new way of looking at the dialogue, and of Plato’s message in composing it. (shrink)

This short paper is to provide answer to the question what is there outside the Universe? If the Universe is expending, what does it expend into? An answer was provided, the universe is expanding into its complementary universe. If that is so, then what the complementary universe is? A new perception is provided that matter exist as a logical state. What is the logical state creating matter? This question is being answered by the relationship between the universe and its complementary (...) universe satisfying the equilibrium equation that total matter of both universes, the inner universe and the complementary universe, collapse into zero, i.e. no matter. Furthermore, the existence of matter out of void is a logical state resulted from the void existence. (shrink)

Does pure consciousness exist without being hooked to a physical mechanism? Can such claim be proven logically? The magnitude of asking this sort of question is similar to asking: Is it logical that matter exists out of the total void? The answer to both questions is yes. The aim of this paper is to show that, the existence of pure consciousness is a logical state, it is not energy, and it exists timelessly and can be experienced beyond the physical body. (...) Furthermore, we show that pure consciousness is a virtual junction on the metaphysical virtual net where each junction incorporates a set of cords of consciousness. The set can be limited, unlimited or uncountable. Cords of consciousness is treated as brain neural patterns and as such the brain can easily be manipulated by an external device which may transmit neural patterns in order to generate artificial scenes. A computation example was provided to elaborate the neural patterns and cords of consciousness. Finally, we discuss the opportunity rather than the possibility to visit the metaphysical virtual space. In that sense, if it is possible, should we grab the opportunity and expend our science beyond physics, into the metaphysics? (shrink)