This article examines Grotius’ lifelong support for Dutch expansion overseas. As noted in other publications of mine, Grotius cooperated closely with the directors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the years 1604–1615. Right up to his arrest for high treason in August 1618, he contributed towards Dutch government discussions about the establishment of a West India Company (WIC). Three years of imprisonment at Loevestein Castle and, following his escape, long years of exile could not weaken his dedication to (...) the cause. His relatives in Holland, in particular his brother Willem de Groot and his brother-in-law Nicolaas van Reigersberch, kept him up-to-date on the fortunes of the VOC and WIC. His expertise on maritime affairs was in high demand. For example, Cardinal Richelieu invited him in November 1626 to become actively involved in the establishment of a French East India Company. As itinerant ideologue of empire, Grotius sought to further his own career and those of his nearest family members, without damaging the interests of the United Provinces. Through Willem de Groot and Nicolaas van Reigersberch, he provided informal advice on Dutch imperial policy to the VOC directors and government officials in The Hague. He was rewarded with the appointment of his brother and his second son, Pieter de Groot, as VOC lawyers (ordinaris advocaten) in 1639 and 1644, respectively. They served as his proxies in diplomatic disputes involving the VOC, the States General and the Portuguese ambassador in autumn 1644, when Pieter and Willem de Groot wrote a defense of VOC claims to the cinnamon-producing areas of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), liberally citing De Jure Belli ac Pacis. Grotius’ vision of empire hardly changed in the course of 40 years. In his view, the Dutch had gone to the Indies as merchants, not conquerors, and should regulate themselves according to natural law and the law of nations. Thus he contributed to the creation of two political orders, one for Europe and one for the Indies. European diplomatic relations counted for little beyond the Line. VOC and WIC officials could act as judges and executioners in their own cause, without reference to indigenous rulers, other colonial powers, or even the political authorities back home. (shrink)

In ethics, the use of empirical data has become more and more popular, leading to a distinct form of applied ethics, namely empirical ethics. This ‘empirical turn’ is especially visible in bioethics. There are various ways of combining empirical research and ethical reflection. In this paper we discuss the use of empirical data in a special form of Reflective Equilibrium (RE), namely the Network Model with Third Person Moral Experiences. In this model, the empirical data consist of the moral experiences (...) of people in a practice. Although inclusion of these moral experiences in this specific model of RE can be well defended, their use in the application of the model still raises important questions. What precisely are moral experiences? How to determine relevance of experiences, in other words: should there be a selection of the moral experiences that are eventually used in the RE? How much weight should the empirical data have in the RE? And the key question: can the use of RE by empirical ethicists really produce answers to practical moral questions?In this paper we start to answer the above questions by giving examples taken from our research project on understanding the norm of informed consent in the field of pediatric oncology. We especially emphasize that incorporation of empirical data in a network model can reduce the risk of self‐justification and bias and can increase the credibility of the RE reached. (shrink)

The question of the professionalisation of the actors often makes debate because it could imply that an actor who professionalises is not a good professional even that he is not qualified. This position is all the more reinforced when these actors live moments of professional transition, where the doubts and the uncertainties come to push aside their professional identity. How consequently as well as possible to accompany them at best in these moments which re-questioning? This article aims at showing how (...) by a reflexive plan of training- action an approach of professionalisation can be, a process of construction of the subjects which allows them to become aware of their luggage of experiment, their professionality and, on the other hand which contributes to the construction of their posture of apprenance. It is about a process in movement which joins in the philosophy of the training and the orientation throughout the life, in which the subject has to recognize itself as an actor in the work, as an author of its work and as a subject in work on its constructive activity supporting its development thus. (shrink)

Reconnaissant l'importance des rites dans les sociétés contemporaines, l'article s'efforce de comprendre pourquoi s'est développée une nouvelle séquence rituelle inscrite dans le processus du mariage. L'enterrement de vie de jeune fille, attesté depuis la fin des années 1980, est associé à la transformation de la place de la femme, dans ses rapports avec la famille, la société et la sexualité. Comme autrefois l'enterrement de vie de garçon, celui de la jeune fille marque symboliquement l'abandon du vagabondage sexuel et amoureux. Cette (...) cérémonie est aujourd'hui attachée au renouveau d'un mariage célébré en grande pompe, mais dont le sens a changé complètement depuis les années 1960. Organisé par la « meilleure amie », et célébré entre filles, l'EDVJF marque aussi le passage des liens d'amitié à ceux de la conjugalité. L'ethnographie de la cérémonie invite à développer la réflexion sur la diversité des effectuations qui sont dans ce cas très frappantes, au-delà de leurs caractères communs.Recognizing the importance of ritual in contemporary societies, the article seeks to understand why there has developed a new ritual sequence recorded in the marriage process. The bachelor girl, attested since the late 1980s, is associated with the transformation of the role of women in their relationships with family, society and sexuality. As the old bachelor boy, the girl that symbolically marks the abandonment of sexual promiscuity and love. This ceremony is now attached to the renewal of a marriage celebrated with great pomp, but whose meaning has changed completely since the 1960s. Organized by the "best friend", and celebrated among girls, EDVJF also marks the transition from friendship to those of conjugality. Ethnography ceremony invites us to develop reflection on the diversity of effectuations which in this case are very striking, beyond their common characteristics. (shrink)

The present volume contains a selection of papers presented at the conference Mapping Parameters of Meaning, an event organized by the GReG (Groupe de Rèflexion sur les Grammaires) linguistics research group in the Language Department of the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre on November 19-20, 2010. The book addresses the description of meaning construction processes, and the necessity for new linguistic interface-tools to analyze it in its dynamic and multi-dimensional aspect. Syntax, grammar, prosody, discourse organization, subjective and situational filters are (...) not considered as autonomous systems; on the contrary, they are shown to systematically converge in the process of meaning construction and interpretation. The notion of context is discussed throughout the volume, a major concern being to try and define the precise nature of the link between variable contextual parameters and stable linguistic systems. The book will be of value to anyone interested in the interaction between syntax, semantics and pragmatics in the gradual construction and interpretation of meaning in natural languages, including researchers, students and scholars of formal linguistics, cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis. (shrink)

Being able to self-regulate one’s learning is essential for academic success but is also very difficult for students. Especially first year students can be overwhelmed with the high study load and autonomy in higher education. To face this challenge, students’ monitoring and self-regulated learning processes are crucial. Yet, often students are not aware of effective SRL strategies or how to use them. In this study, the use of a mobile application with gamification elements to support first-year university students’ SRL processes (...) was investigated. In Study 1a, the Ace your self-study app was implemented in a first-year psychology course, and students’ SRL skills, motivation, self-efficacy, app use and satisfaction, and performance were measured. The results showed a significant increase in autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and metacognitive self-regulation skills across the 5-week course. Moreover, students who used the mobile application with gamified elements showed higher autonomous motivation. Nevertheless, most students used the app only for a limited number of self-study sessions. In Study 1b, students’ self-study experiences were captured using focus group interviews to shed some more light on why students did or did not use the app. The results show that if students feel they do not need support for their SRL processes during self-study, they are less inclined to use the app. Specifically, regarding using study strategies, it was found that only if students’ strategies do not work well in their perception, they feel the need to change their way of studying and choose another strategy. These results are discussed in the context of theory on SRL and how to support it. (shrink)

Après la révolution d’Octobre 1917, la transformation des rapports sociaux entre les sexes a été placée au cœur du projet bolchevik de construction du socialisme en Russie. De nouvelles formes d’organisation de la vie domestique, du travail et de la société transformeraient les relations entre les hommes et les femmes. Afin que les femmes puissent participer à égalité avec les hommes aux activités de production et de la sphère publique, il était indispensable de libérer les femmes des tâches domestiques en (...) transférant celles-ci dans la sphère des services collectifs. Qu’en fut-il dans la réalité? Les enquêtes sur les emplois du temps des familles, appelées enquêtes de budget temps, qui ont été réalisées en URSS au début des années 1920 puis à la fin des années 1960 et au début des années 1970, permettent de juger de la réalité de l’évolution des rôles sociaux derrière les discours dans la Russie soviétique. (shrink)

This paper will attempt to establish a framework for the term vedanā. Then it will present the range of the different feeling tones: pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. It will point out that ‘neutral’ feeling tone can be defined in different ways as either non-existing, indeterminate, indifference or the beginning of equanimity. Following this, vedanā will be discussed in the context of the five nāma factors: contact, feeling-tone, perception, intention and attention. This paper will suggest that mindfulness can be of benefit (...) because it possibly gives rise to what is referred to in the early Pāli texts as ‘unwordly pleasant’ feeling tones. The paper concludes by making a connection between the practice of mindfulness of feeling-tones and the cultivation of the ethical precepts as an antidote to unskilful reactive patterns that arise in relation to vedana. (shrink)

In this article I share some of my experiences of practising Korean Zen meditation and how, without ever mentioning the word ‘mindfulness,’ this practice helps us to become mindful. This leads me to suggest that the main ingredients of Buddhist meditation are samatha (which I will translate here as ‘concentration’) and vipassanā (which I will call ‘experiential enquiry’). No matter which Buddhist tradition one follows, the practice of samatha and vipassanā will lead to the cultivation of mindfulness. I also intend (...) to show how the traditional doctrine of the ‘four great efforts’ is very close to therapeutic methods advocated in MBCT. I will also propose that the Buddha's five methods of dealing with difficult thoughts as presented in the Vitakkhasa hāna Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya 20) are examples of an early Buddhist cognitive behavioural strategy. (shrink)

Increasing returns to scale is an area in economics that has recently become the focus of much attention. While most firms operate under constant or decreasing return to scale on their relevant range of production, some firms produce goods or services with a technology which exhibits increasing returns to scale at levels of production which are large relative to the market. These goods are an important component of economic activity in a modern economy and are typically commodities produced either by (...) a public sector or, as in the U.S., by regulated utilities. In this study, the author analyzes increasing returns using general equilibrium theory to take into account the interactions between production in the public and the private sector, and the effects of financing the public sector on the redistribution of income. (shrink)

La sociología de la literatura da explicación de las condiciones de existencia de lo literario en Bélgica y de su rivalidad inevitable con la institución francesa. Es posible señalar, entre estos dos campos literarios, vínculos diacrónicos de connivencia, con particular relieve entre el Simbolismo y el Surrealismo desarrollado en ambos países: comparten el rechazo de las constricciones que tiranizan al individuo y la defensa de la escritura como vía de liberación hacia una vida más plena. A la vez, la sociología (...) de lo literario nos permite advertir las diferencias, cruciales, entre el Surrealismo de André Breton y el de Paul Nougé. (shrink)

Entretien réalisé à Lyon, le 10 mai 2012, avec Martine Villelongue, directrice de l’université de la Mode. Historienne de l’Art, Martine Villelongue a soutenu une thèse sur l’œuvre de Lucien Bégule (1848-1935), maître-verrier lyonnais, à l’université de Lyon 2 en 1983, publiée en 2005. Elle a ensuite travaillé pendant une quinzaine d’années au musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs de Lyon : montage d’expositions et création du service des publics de ce musée. Après avoir enseigné comme maît...

« Notre monde recèle autant de possibilités immenses que de gigantesques échecs. »La gauche détient les clefs pour redonner un avenir à la France et à l’Europe. Plus de solidarité, plus d’égalité, plus de règles, plus de respect de l’autre et le retour du sens de l’intérêt général face à l’argent roi sont les talismans du progrès retrouvé. Le combat politique avec..

Cet article examine les conditions d’élaboration et la fortune éditoriale de la traduction latine d’un texte italien, le Commentario de le cose de' Turchi de Paolo Giovio publié à Rome en 1532. Ce texte politique voulant donner des éléments à Charles Quint pour engager la croisade contre les Turcs est traduit en latin en 1537 à Strasbourg par un italien en exil pour motifs religieux, Francesco Negri. Publiée cinq fois à Strasbourg, Wittenberg et Paris entre 1537 et 1539, cette traduction (...) détourne le texte de ses premiers objectifs pour servir à la propagande réformée du parti de la paix : cette lecture politique est construite par l’association des autres textes avec lesquels il est publié, qui en orientent le sens. Une fois sortie de l’actualité, cette traduction est publiée parmi les œuvres latines de Giovio, sans mention du traducteur, et se fige en un texte historiographique à simple valeur documentaire. (shrink)

La tradition manuscrite de la lyrique occitane nous a transmis quatre recueils, tous réalisés en Vénétie à la fin du xiiie siècle, qui sont décorés de miniatures évoquant chaque troubadour en tête des poèmes qui lui sont attribués. Parmi eux se sont glissées quelques femmes trobairitz. Huit d’entre elles sont ainsi représentées en train de chanter, mais dénuées de tout caractère individuel. À défaut de pouvoir révéler qui ont été ces poétesses-musiciennes dont l’identité souvent incertaine laisse planer un doute quant (...) à leur existence réelle, ces images témoignent d’abord de la célébrité dont elles bénéficiaient plusieurs décennies après leur disparition dans les milieux lettrés italiens. Images stéréotypées, rehaussées par l’éclat des fonds d’or et le chatoiement des couleurs, elles relèvent avant tout d’une fiction destinée à mettre en évidence la « noblesse », tant morale que sociale, des personnages. De telles représentations ne pouvaient mieux répondre à l’idéal même de la fin’amor, l’amour courtois : en elles se cristallise une vision idéale de la dame inaccessible et parfaite, la domna, chantée par les troubadours. (shrink)

Les syndicats libres féminins s'inspirent du catholicisme social, et ils reprennent à leur compte les idées développées par Léon XIII dans l'encyclique Rerum novarum. Par exemple, la recherche d'une collaboration de classe se concrétise dans la participation d'ouvrières et de bourgeoises à la vie syndicale, les premières étant sollicitées et encadrées par les secondes. Si ces organisations se donnent pour but de défendre les intérêts spécifiques des salariées, présence et action syndicales ne trouvent en fait leur plénitude et leur sens (...) qu'en s'inscrivant dans une dimension éthique et morale. L'ouvrière est prise en charge dans l'usine, mais aussi au-dehors. Son mode de vie, ses relations sociales et familiales, son avenir personnel sont l'objet d'attentions et deviennent le support d'un projet politique plus vaste. (shrink)

Human monoclonal antibodies are extremely difficult to obtain by hybridoma technology. As an alternative, ‘human‐like’ antibodies have been produced by recombinant DNA technology. The first such engineered antibodies consisted of chimaeric proteins, in which murine variable regions were linked to human constant regions. More recently ‘human’ antibodies have been ‘reshaped’ by transplanting the binding site of a murine antibody into a human antibody. Further‐more antibodies have been dissected into groups of domains (Fab's, Fc's) and for example, Fab's have been joined (...) to enzymes resulting in antibody‐enzyme chimaeras. In addition to their potential clinical applications, engineered antibodies will prove invaluable in studies of structure/function relationships of variable and constant regions. (shrink)

Le XVIe siècle voit l’émergence des vernaculaires comme langues de pensée, et le maintien en parallèle du latin comme langue savante de communication et de réflexion. Ce double mouvement, l’un de conquête et l’autre de résistance, a souvent été étudié du point de vue du vernaculaire, pour en marquer la progression tant pour la structuration des langues que pour le terrain gagné sur le latin dans le domaine des textes de fiction autant que d’argumentation. Le petit dossier présenté ici, issu (...) d... (shrink)