SummaryIntense, sustained nursing lengthens inter-birth intervals and is causally linked with low natural fertility. However, in traditional settings, the effects of such nursing on fertility are difficult to disentangle from those of nutrition. Results from an prospective, direct observational study of reproductive function in well-nourished Amele women who nurse intensively and persistently but who also have high fertility are here presented. Endocrine measures show that ovarian activity resumes by median 11·0 months postpartum. Median duration of postpartum amenorrhoea is 11·3 months, (...) time to next conception is 19·0 months, and the inter-birth interval is 28·0 months. Average life time fertility is 6·8. High fertility in Amele women is due both to refractoriness of reproductive function to suckling stimuli, and to maintenance of equivalent age-specific fertility rates across the reproductive life span. (shrink)

In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province. Written on strips of bamboo that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian Laozi," is by far the earliest version of the _Tao Te Ching_ ever unearthed. Students of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of this famous text: it provides the most conclusive evidence to date that the text was the work of multiple authors and editors (...) over hundreds of years, rather than the achievement of a single individual writing during the time of Confucius. Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of the "bamboo slip Laozi." Differing substantially from other versions we have of the text, the Guodian Laozi provides us with clues on how and when the text came into being. As Henricks's translation shows, many chapters are missing in this form of the text, and some chapters remain incomplete. All of this seems to suggest that the _Tao Te Ching_ was not yet "complete" when these slips were copied. In his translation, Henricks focuses attention on lines in each of the chapters that vary from readings in other editions. In addition, he shows how the sequence of chapters in this form of the text is totally unrelated to the sequence readers commonly see in the "standard" form of the text, i.e., in other translations. Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new _Tao Te Ching:_ • A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery • Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions • Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions • Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and modern form of the characters in the chapter • An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's commentary and notes on this biography This groundbreaking work will lead to a reassessment of the history and significance of this well-known and critical work as well as a reevaluation of the role it played in the development of Taoism in early China. (shrink)

In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province. Written on strips of bamboo that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian Laozi," is by far the earliest version of the _Tao Te Ching_ ever unearthed. Students of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of this famous text: it provides the most conclusive evidence to date that the text was the work of multiple authors and editors (...) over hundreds of years, rather than the achievement of a single individual writing during the time of Confucius. Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of the "bamboo slip Laozi." Differing substantially from other versions we have of the text, the Guodian Laozi provides us with clues on how and when the text came into being. As Henricks's translation shows, many chapters are missing in this form of the text, and some chapters remain incomplete. All of this seems to suggest that the _Tao Te Ching_ was not yet "complete" when these slips were copied. In his translation, Henricks focuses attention on lines in each of the chapters that vary from readings in other editions. In addition, he shows how the sequence of chapters in this form of the text is totally unrelated to the sequence readers commonly see in the "standard" form of the text, i.e., in other translations. Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new _Tao Te Ching:_ • A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery • Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions • Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions • Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and modern form of the characters in the chapter • An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's commentary and notes on this biography This groundbreaking work will lead to a reassessment of the history and significance of this well-known and critical work as well as a reevaluation of the role it played in the development of Taoism in early China. (shrink)

Selected works of the contemporary Polish abstract painting in the light of Ingarden’s conception of metaphysical qualities: The main thesis of my article is that Roman Ingarden’s concept of metaphysical qualities can be adapted to analyze and interpret artworks that represent some tendencies in abstract painting. I start by summarizing this concept, taking into consideration the elements of its reconstructions that are present in the source literature, especially those aspects that concern art. Although Ingarden’s idea can be used with many (...) examples, I employ it to analyze chosen artworks by the outstanding Polish abstract artists Tamara Berdowska, Władysław Podrazik, Tadeusz G. Wiktor and Jan Pamuła. I do not intend to refer to these paintings strictly in Ingarden’s terms, but I use these criteria in a way that allows me to enrich the interpretation of these artworks by showing them in a new light. By recognizing the role of contemplation of art, I try to fnd the genesis of the analyzed examples and reveal how metaphysical qualities manifest in them and infuence the viewer. I underline aspects that are distinctive of the presented artists and are related to the exceptional ability of abstract language to correspond to Ingarden’s idea. Subsequently, when developing my point of view I maintain the relationship between aesthetic and metaphysical sense that creates a kind of interdependence. These artists intentionally go beyond purely aesthetic efects to relate to transcendence. By adapting Ingarden’s concept to some contemporary abstractions, I try to link philosophical and critical ways of approaching these artistic phenomena with special regards to their metaphysical connotations that tend to be overlooked in contemporary discourses. (shrink)

Te onderscheiden is de significa of leer van de taaldaad in ruimere en die in engere zin. In ruimere zin omvat deze het gehele gebied van de verstandhoudingsmiddelen (= beïnvloedingsmiddelen) van levende wezens (in hoofdzaak dieren en mensen, zowel individueel als groeps- of soortsgewijs), doch in de meer gebruikelijke, technischwetenschappelijke betekenis beperkt de significa zich tot het geestelijk verkeer tussen mensen of groepen van mensen, en zou dus (onder uitschakeling van de gewone taalwetenschappen, als linguistiek, semantologie, e.d.) omschreven kunnen worden (...) als de leer van de menselijke verstandhoudingsverschijnselen, beschouwd uit taalkundig, mimisch en psychisch gezichtspunt. (shrink)

Zájem současné sociologie a dalších společenských věd o výzkumy spokojenosti a štěstí zatemňuje skutečnost, že původně právě sociologie chtěla „štěstí" poskytovat a nahrazovat tak náboženské přístupy ke světu. Tento implicitně nábo- ženský charakter je patrný i v rané české sociologii v dílech prvních propagátorů sociologie, jako byl především Emanuel Makovička, a později u některých následovníků a epigonů T. G. Masaryka, v meziválečném období zejména u Ladislava Kunteho, R. I. Malého, Alexandra Sommera-Batěka, Jindřicha Fleischnera a Jana Duška. Z hlediska vývoje české (...) sociologie šlo o zcela okrajové postavy, ačkoli mnohé z nich vynikly v jiných oblastech, jako celek jsou nicméně vyjádřením jednoho z aspektů dobových teoretických úvah o společnosti, jejím uspořádání a vývoji, na který by nemělo být zapomínáno. Zatímco T. G. Masaryka a pozdější akademické sociology „omezoval" vědecký charakter jejich práce, a i pokud směřovali k sociálnímu reformismu, oddělovali jej od teoretické sociologie, „sociologie vedoucí ke štěstí" nalezla plné uplatnění ve vizích a ambiciózních projek- tech těchto amatérských takésociologů - třebaže skončily faktickými nezdary nebo ani nedošly praktického naplnění, ostatně stejně jako v případě jejich pravzoru, Comtova pozitivistického apoštolátu. (shrink)

Müslümanlar 8. yüzyılın başlarından 897/1492’e kadar Endülüs’te siyasî varlıklarını devam ettirmişlerdir. İber Yarımadası’ndaki Müslümanların ilk devleti olan Endülüs Emevî Devleti'nin 422/1031’de yıkılmasından sonra, çok sayıda şehir devleti kurulmuştur. Mülûku't-tavâif denilen bu küçük şehir devletleri, 5/11. yüzyıl sonlarında Hıristiyan güçler karşısında zaman zaman yok olma tehlikesi yaşamışlardır. Bu durum karşısında Mağrib'teki Berberî asıllı Murâbıtlardan yardım istemişlerdir. Mağrib’ten gelen yardımlar sonucunda Endülüs’te 483/1090 yılından itibaren Murâbıtlar, ardından 541/1147'den sonra da Muvahhidler hâkimiyeti başlamıştır. Muvahhidlerin 7/13. yüzyıl başlarında yıkılmasıyla Endülüs’te yeniden Mülûku’t-tavâif dönemi ortaya (...) çıkmış ve kısa zaman içerisinde Benî Ahmer dışındaki devletler yok olmuştur. Bu devlet, yaklaşık iki buçuk asırlık dönem boyunca ayakta kalmayı başarmıştır. Bu dönem boyunca da diğer devletlerle farklı yönlerden temaslarda bulunmuştur. Gırnâta Sultanlığı’nın en yoğun ilişki içerisinde bulunduğu devletlerden biri de, Mağrib’te, Cebelitârık Boğazı’nın güneyinde yer alan Merînîler Devleti olmuştur. Muvahhidlerin haleflerinden olan bu devlet, kendisini Endülüs cihadı açısından da onların varisi olarak görmüştür. Endülüs’te Hıristiyan güçlere karşı devam eden mücadelede de Merînîler ve Benî Ahmer genellikle işbirliği içinde olmuşlardır. Muvahhidlerin ardılı olan bu iki devlet, din, dil, kültür, soy olarak da ortak özelliklere sahiptiler. Öncelikle savunma amaçlı askerî zeminde başlayan ilişkiler, bununla sınırlı kalmamış, farklı alanlarda etkileşimlerle devam etmiştir. Bu çalışmada Benî Ahmer ve Merînîler devleti arasındaki çeşitli ilişkiler ve etkileşimler ele alınacaktır. (shrink)

In de vorige jaargang van dit tijdschrift heb ik twee artikelen gepubliceerd over de wijsgerige theologie van de zogenaamde Utrechtse school. Daarop is gereageerd door respectievelijk M. Sarot, G. van den Brink en V. Brümmer. Er zijn drie punten waarop ik de discussie graag kort wil voortzetten: logische consistentie en conceptuele coherentie als norm voor het geloof, het verfijnde realisme, en de eigen aard van de theologie in vergelijking met het concrete geloven. In feite gaat het daarbij steeds om de (...) eigen aard van het geloof. Daarin ligt ook de reden ruimte te vragen voor deze reactie. Het lijkt mij van bijzonder belang voor de theologie dat het concrete geloven op de juiste manier wordt verstaan. Alleen dan kan de theologie dit geloof werkelijk dienen. Dat geldt tegenover het gevaar van versubjectivering van het geloof evenzeer als tegenover dat van verintellectualisering. (shrink)

Burkart et al. present a paradox – general factors of intelligence exist among individual differences (g) in performance in several species, and also at the aggregate level (G); however, there is ambiguous evidence for the existence of g when analyzing data using a mixed approach, that is, when comparing individuals of different species using the same cognitive ability battery. Here, we present an empirical solution to this paradox.

In het boek Exodus, hoofdstuk 3, wordt verteld hoe God aan Mozes verschijnt in een brandende braambos. De HEER heeft het lijden van Israel in Egypte gezien en wil hen daaruit bevrijden. Daartoe wordt Mozes naar de farao gestuurd om tegen hem te zeggen dat hij Israel moet laten gaan. Met die boodschap moet Mozes eerst naar Israel zelf. Vandaar zijn vraag: wat zullen zij zeggen? Zullen zij mij geloven, als ik zeg dat ik gestuurd ben door de God van (...) hun vader, van Abraham, Isaak en Jakob? Zullen zij niet vragen: wie is die God? Hoe is zijn naam? In antwoord daarop spreekt God de bekende woorden: ‘Ik ben die Ik ben.’ Mozes moet tot de Israelieten zeggen: ‘Ik ben heeft mij tot u gezonden.’ En verder: ‘De HEER, de God van uw vaderen, de God van Abraham, de God van Isaak en de God van Jakob, heeft mij tot u gezonden. Dit is mijn naam voor eeuwig en zo wil Ik aangeroepen worden van geslacht tot geslacht.’. (shrink)

In his introduction to this extraordinarily important and useful volume, Herman Geertman points out that the editions of the Liber Pontificalis produced around a century ago by Theodor Mommsen and Louis Duchesne made the Liber more an instrument, than an object, of research. For some years an international group of scholars under the leadership of Girolamo Arnaldi, François Bougard, Paolo Delogu, and G. himself, have been conducting a collaborative project on “The Liber Pontificalis as Source for the History and Material (...) Culture of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: A Collective Research Project on the Biographies from 314 to 891.” This book arises out of that project. But the present study, reflecting in particular G.'s interests, does not confine itself to “history” and “material culture.” Although the volume contains many valuable contributions on these important subjects, it also emphasizes the nature of the text of the Liber Pontificalis, the intentions of its redactors, and the accessibility of the text in terms of its language, contents, and conceptual underpinnings. G. notes that the project and the book also attempt a systematic updating of Duchesne's historical and archaeological material. The volume under review contains excellent papers that do indeed update DUCHESNE, but it cannot be said that this volume is “systematic” if by that word one understands comprehensive and exhaustive. I am not, be it emphasized, criticizing G. and his collaborators for failing to accomplish the impossible. It is important to say, however, that G.'s approach makes the Liber Pontificalis once again an object as well as an instrument of research. (shrink)

Diese überarbeitete Dissertation eines Kunsthistorikers will sich vor allem den Schriftquellen für und gegen Engelsdarstellungen widmen, bezieht freilich auch Denkmäler mit ein. Dahinter steht die Einsicht, daß die gegen christliche Bilder vorgebrachten Argumente zwar insgesamt an der Unmöglichkeit eines Gottesbildes festgemacht sind, daß aber das Engelsbild die Probleme deutlicher zeigt. Konnte beim Gottesbild auf die Inkarnation Christi verwiesen werden, die ihn darstellbar macht , so versagten solche Argumente bei den Bildern von Engeln, die als geistig und körperlos geglaubt wurden. Freilich (...) gibt es hier Differenzierungen, auf die P. hinweist: Als geschaffene Wesen werden sie in ihrer Geistigkeit von der Gottes abgesetzt. Die Arbeit ist eher problemorientiert, als daß sie das Material systematisch erfaßte. Und manches ist nun freilich speziell auf Bilder von Engeln bezogen und auf deren Besonderheit zugeschnitten, was allgemein christliche Kunst betraf. (shrink)

Het punt dat René Munnik in zijn reactie aan de orde stelt is van fundamentele betekenis. Is het wijsgerig geoorloofd geloof en filosofie zo met elkaar te verbinden als ik dat doe in ‘Kennis in reformatorisch wijsgerig perspectief’, mijn bijdrage aan de OU-cursus ‘Cultuurfilosofie vanuit levensbeschouwelijke perspectieven’? Is het niet beter de argumentatie ‘strikt wijsgerig’ te houden en de filosofie te beperken tot de ‘natuurlijke’ kennis in plaats van een op openbaring gebaseerd geloofsperspectief als uitgangspunt te nemen?1 Ik wil hierover (...) graag enkele opmerkingen maken, in de hoop dat daarmee ook mijn erkentelijkheid voor zijn kritische notities tot uitdrukking komt. (shrink)

Een van de kenmerken van de wijsgerige theologie zoals die in de Utrechtse school wordt beoefend, is de nadruk op een persoonlijk Godsbegrip. Daarom wordt voor de bijdragen gebundeld in Hoe is uw Naam? Opstellen over de eigenschappen van God geclaimd ‘dat over de eigenschappen van God niet op abstracte wijze wordt gespeculeerd, maar dat zij afgelezen worden uit het persoonlijk handelen van God jegens mens en wereld’. In het artikel ‘Conceptuele analyse en christelijk geloof. Over de wijsgerige theologie in (...) Utrecht’ heb ik geprobeerd aan te tonen dat deze claim slechts in beperkte mate wordt waar gemaakt. (shrink)

In de vorige jaargang van dit tijdschrift heb ik twee artikelen gepubliceerd over de wijsgerige theologie van de zogenaamde Utrechtse school. Daarop is gereageerd door respectievelijk M. Sarot, G. van den Brink en V. Brümmer. Er zijn drie punten waarop ik de discussie graag kort wil voortzetten: logische consistentie en conceptuele coherentie als norm voor het geloof, het verfijnde realisme, en de eigen aard van de theologie in vergelijking met het concrete geloven. In feite gaat het daarbij steeds om de (...) eigen aard van het geloof. Daarin ligt ook de reden ruimte te vragen voor deze reactie. Het lijkt mij van bijzonder belang voor de theologie dat het concrete geloven op de juiste manier wordt verstaan. Alleen dan kan de theologie dit geloof werkelijk dienen. Dat geldt tegenover het gevaar van versubjectivering van het geloof evenzeer als tegenover dat van verintellectualisering. (shrink)

Ovaj članak je usporedba nekih od centralnih ontoloških stavova o naravi prve materije renesansnog platonista Marsilia Ficina te naravi prostora Frane Petrića, platonista 16. stoljeća iz grada Cresa. U njemu tvrdim da postoje dva aspekta u kojima prirodne filozofije oba platonista nalikuju jedna drugoj, naročito po pitanju ontološkog statusa najtemeljnijeg supstrata materijalnog svijeta. Kao prvo, i Ficino i Petrić se zalažu za temeljnu egzistenciju materije i prostora. Kao drugo, oba filozofa pridaju »ontološki prioritet« materiji i prostoru nad onim što se (...) smatra da su prolazne kvalitete materijalnog svijeta. (shrink)

Western dominant global conservation is generally conceived of and understood as an unqualified ‘good’. The dark side of this so-called unqualified ‘good’ is told explicitly by listening to the tes...

Modules in ethics have become astonishingly popular at the University of the Western Cape. This could reflect students’ concern about morality, but the saying by Lafargue in Tao te ching in the title suggests that moral discourse flourishes when moral behaviour is languishing. This article reflects on some 15 years of teaching ethical theory to third-year students. Three trends are identified: Students’ responses to the theories are unpredictable and surprising. Nietzsche and Kant are very popular, although some modern ‘contextual’ theories (...) draw less support. Students who can be extremely moralistic in class are sometimes amoral in their practices and offhand pronouncements. Students are hampered by their poor conceptual skills and rely excessively on memorising. The last two trends raise questions about our teaching of ethics and the ethics of our teaching. Although many students embrace character-based theories, to some ‘a good character’ apparently means ‘what makes me feel good about myself’ and to others ‘what makes me look good to my group’. Thus, they effectively embrace either individual relativism or group relativism, which is understandable when theories are presented without the backing of at least a rudimentary philosophical anthropology. Questions of indoctrination become acute in the teaching of ethics. Are we, in the name of moral formation, teaching students to parrot current dogmas presented without arguments? If so, our practice may be both morally dubious and counterproductive. The best students rebel against such manipulation. The article calls for more reflection on how and to what ends we teach ethics. (shrink)

; tibi M. Bibulus quaerenti se de caelo seruasse respondit idemque in contione dixit, ab Appio tuo fratre productus, te omnino, quod contra auspicia adoptatus esses, tribunum non fuisse. tua denique omnis actio posterioribus mensibus fuit, omnia quae C. Caesar egisset, quod contra auspicia essent acta, per senatum rescindi oportere; quod si fieret, dicebas te tuis umeris me custodem urbis in urbem relaturum.’.

Aan de hand van het werk van de Duitse romancier W.G. Sebald breekt Mark Anderson een lans voor een herwaardering van de melancholie, als enig mogelijke houding om de last van het verleden die we moeten dragen, te kunnen torsen. De kunsten zijn het aangewezen instrument voor deze ‘daad van verzet’ ‘tegen de krachten van vernietiging en vergeten in het menselijk leven’. Het werk van Sebald, achtervolgd door de ‘postmemory’ aan het Duitse oorlogsgeweld dat hij zelf alleen indirect had meegemaakt, (...) is hiervan een veelzeggende illustratie. (shrink)