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The Reason Why

The Reason Why

Author(s): Edo Pivčević / Language(s): English

Keywords: reductionism; modality; metaphysical continuity; mathematical chaos; nominal definition; mathematical determinism; linear-hierarchical model; natural necessity; Newton;

In his latest book Pivčević argues that the scope and limits of rational explanation are set by a number of fundamental categories and principles which are all mutually complementary and interdependent. This lattice of basic categories and principles not only helps make sense of what we experience but conveys how the world is actually made up. In developing this thesis Pivčević is at the same time outlining some of the key features that mark out specifically philosophical explanation as opposed to other types of explanation such as those commonly found in the natural sciences and in naturalistic theology. Reasons for belief can be all sorts, but when do such reasons amount to a rational explanation? The thesis advanced in this book is that the scope and the limits of rational explanation are fixed by a number of fundamental ideas and principles which are all mutually complementary and interdependent, and provide an insight into how the world is actually made up. It is a logical requirement of rational explanation that such ideas, and the principles that go with them, should form a self-supporting analytical system. One such idea and a vital component of the system is the idea of self. This runs counter to what might be described as a ‘naturalistic’ approach to explanation. A naturalistic explanation, essentially, is based on the assumption that the world is fashioned by factors that exist independently of the conditions under which they may feature as objects of belief, rational or otherwise. The ideas in terms of which we make sense of what we experience are treated, accordingly, as ‘emergent’ phenomena and products of human evolution. This feature of naturalistic explanations does not necessarily detract from their capacity to serve as useful prognostic tools. Nevertheless such pragmatic utility as they may have cannot hide their philosophical limitations.

Economic Development Strategies and Structural Change

Shortcut or Piecemeal

Author(s): Jan Winiecki / Language(s): English

Keywords: Economic development; free-market system

Despite the economic uncertainties that have affected the world economy, alternative economic development strategies receive very little attention in the published literature. When academics compare certain strategic features or assess the performance of different strategies they rarely factor in outcomes. This book seeks to address that gap and to provide a theoretical background to the shift from industry to human capital intensive services as the engine of economic growth. Pioneering studies reveal interesting trends and patterns that point to the growing importance of the mostly intellectual property-based intangible capital in relation to the level of GDP. These studies also indicate that economic freedom has had a large role in bringing about this second great structural change, more than was with the case with industrialization. The author also provides an extensive assessment of four key developing countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

History of Latvian Art Theory

History of Latvian Art Theory

Author(s): Stella Pelše / Language(s): English

Keywords: Latvian art theory; art history; aesthetics; symbolism; Neo-Romanticism; Marxism; modernism; Activism; formalism; intuitivism; nationalist ideology

This volume is the first in the series of doctoral dissertations initiated by the Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art and intended to make art-historical research more accessible to a wider public. The book provides an historical survey of ideas in Latvian art theory (1900–1940) so far not examined in detail. General problems regarding visual arts are in focus, particularly definitions of art. Texts under scrutiny have been selected from a wide variety of sources – books, collected articles, magazines, newspapers, unpublished manuscripts, diaries, etc., authored by artists, poets, critics, historians and representatives of other professions. The influx of radical changes in Latvian artistic practice since the late 1980s has also increased the role of theoretical statements, inviting elucidation of historical precedents. Where should one draw the line between acceptable and even necessary “alien” elements and blind submission to foreign avant-garde examples? The conclusion that Latvian culture exists at the cross-roads of the most diverse influences reveals a persistent situation of choice that is not only a matter of the history of art theory but also of theoretical thinking on art in the present.

Travels among Europe's Muslim Neighbours. The Quest for Democracy

Travels among Europe's Muslim Neighbours. The Quest for Democracy

Author(s): Joost Lagendijk,Jan Marinus Wiersma / Language(s): English

Keywords: Europe’s Muslim Neighbours ; Quest for Democracy ; European Islam ; Challenges for Society ; European Foreign Policy ;

In Travels among Europe’s Muslim Neighbours – The Quest for Democracy, two Dutch Members of the European Parliament, Joost Lagendijk and Jan Marinus Wiersma, report on their talks with leading politicians of democratic and moderate Islamist convictions in the Balkans, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. Their accounts have a vivid quality that gives the reader the sense of having been part of their missions. The underlying theme is the search for ways in which Europe’s Muslim neighbourhood might eventually become more democratic, rather than remain – at least in the case of the Arab Mediterranean states – ruled by largely authoritarian regimes. The role of democratic Turkey as an important reference throughout the region is highlighted. The authors also argue the case for EU policy to engage in dialogue with all democratic parties in the region, including in particular the Muslim democrats, which is not the case at the moment. The book complements two other related works recently published by CEPS: European Islam – Challenges for Society and Public Policy and Political Islam and European Foreign Policy.

CSD-Report 18 - Corruption in Public Procurement: Risks and Reform Policies

CSD-Report 18 - Corruption in Public Procurement: Risks and Reform Policies

Author(s): Konstantin Pashev,Assen Dyulgerov,Georgi Kaschiev / Language(s): English

Public procurement is among those spheres in the management of the public sector in Bulgaria which are characterized by the highest corruption risk. Generally speaking, the abuses in this sphere relate to the awarding of the public procurement contract to a pre-selected supplier to the detriment of the public interest through violation of the principles of competition for the purpose of gaining personal benefit. // The report examines the corruption in public procurement and assesses the losses from it. It also focuses on big corruption in public procurement with a view to the fine-tuning of the policy tools. This type of corruption covers all transactions and procedures which fall or should fall within the scope of the public procurement legislation. These are most of the supplies whose price or qualitative parameters are subject to negotiation between the contracting authorities in the public sector and the suppliers from the private sector.

Family Life and Crime. Contemporary Research and Essays

Family Life and Crime. Contemporary Research and Essays

Author(s): Maciej Bernasiewicz,Monika Noszczyk-Bernasiewicz / Language(s): English

Keywords: network; postmodernism; culture; civic activity; urbanity; seniors; networking; terrorism

The family crisis reveals serious fissures in the very foundations of the European cultural community; likewise, criminal and moral degradation of youth points to the crisis of the family as an important source of the problem […]. The authors make a strong casefor the view that destructive peer relations become criminogenic factors only when they are combined with dysfunctional family-of-origin settings. In such circumstances, the authors argue, timely institutional decisions and their appropriate implementation, while always fraught with the risk of stigmatisation (as in the case of measures involving confinement), often prove to be rational actions undertaken to stop the psychological degradation of the juvenile. This conclusion is important in that it contrasts with the claim, today often overstated, that institutional forms of care for juvenile delinquents, without exception, bring more harm than benefits […]. I am convinced that the book will be of interest both to Polish rehabilitation practitioners and theoreticians as well as to international readers. For the latter,it may be an interesting source of information about the present condition of Polish rehabilitation research and compelling problems that the system of juvenile delinquency prevention in Poland is now facing. - From a review by dr hab. Mariusz Sztuka, Head of the Department of Social Prevention and Rehabilitation, Jagiellonian University, Kraków

Sustainable Development in Peripheral Regions

Sustainable Development in Peripheral Regions

Author(s): Mirosława Czerny,Wojciech Doroszewicz / Language(s): English

Keywords: sustainable development; peripheral regions; Latin America; Albania; Italy;Poland;Portugal; Spain; natural conditions; social conditions; cultural conditions; rural regions; peripheral urban areas; mountainous regions; tourism.

This publication is an effect of collaboration of the Institute of Regional and Global Studies of the University of Warsaw with the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima and other universities from Latin America, Asia and Europe. A collection of selected texts is devoted to sustainable development of peripheral regions in Latin America and some parts of Europe (Albania, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain) and Asia (Nepal). These texts discuss natural, social and cultural conditions and possibilities of development of rural regions and peripheral urban areas, with particular attention to mountainous regions, as well as possibilities of tourism development in rural areas. They fall within the current discussion carried out in the academic environment and planning on the opportunities and constraints to the development of peripheral areas.

The Silk Railroad. The EU-China rail connections: background, actors, interests

The Silk Railroad. The EU-China rail connections: background, actors, interests

Author(s): Jakub Jakóbowski,Konrad Popławski,Marcin Kaczmarski / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; China; Silk Road

The report discusses the current state and future prospects of rail connections between China and the countries of the European Union. Special emphasis is placed on the role of Central Europe. It presents the goals and the policy adopted by the Chinese side in the process of building rail connections with European countries, compares the current and the planned transport corridors, offers an analysis of the economic potential of the China-Europe rail connections. It also discusses various business models of cooperation with China in rail transport. // The report has been drawn up based on the desk research and interviews with representatives of European and Chinese companies involved in developing rail connections, as well as interviews with Chinese analysts dealing with Belt and Road issues.

Père-versions of the Truth. The Novels of J. M. Coetzee. Expanded Second Edition

Père-versions of the Truth. The Novels of J. M. Coetzee. Expanded Second Edition

Author(s): Sławomir Masłoń / Language(s): English

Keywords: novels; J.M. Coetzee; politics; narration; existence; humanist discourse; psychoanalytic theory

The purpose of the book is to approach J.M. Coetzee’s novelistic output from a different perspective than the one that was usually embraced by the majority of critics. The common practice, which is in any case elicited by this output, is orientation from the “humanist” position, criticising the excesses of colonialism and confronting violence with existential problems of Man on the path to the Truth and self-realisation. Even though in today’s world the authority of universalia such as Man and Truth was severely undermined, for it may be perceived as something which always serves somebody’s interests, it seems that Coetzee created for his own purpose a writer’s method in which the basic features of a humanist novel may be retained and which at the same time attempts to defend itself against accusations of involvement in the interplay of violence and interests. In order to demonstrate the political, narration-related and existential consequences of the attitudes embraced by the protagonists of such a modernised humanist novel, the book analyses seven novels by Coetzee, and the premises of humanist discourse which are contained in these novels were confronted with the selected concepts of the psychoanalytic theory, especially the concepts of Jacques Lacan and their political application conducted by Slavoj Žižek. The second edition of the book was enhanced by a chapter which discusses three pseudo-autobiographical novels by Coetzee and a chapter which analyses “The Lives of Animals” by this author – a sort of metafiction devoted to animal rights.

Trans-local Lives. Class, Gender and Rurality in post-2004 Migration between Ireland and Poland

Trans-local Lives.Class, Gender and Rurality in post-2004 Migration between Ireland and Poland

Author(s): Natalia Mazurkiewicz / Language(s): English

Keywords: migration; Poland; Ireland; integration; translocal lives; Polish;

The book explores the phenomenon of post-2004 mobility between Ireland and Poland. In particular I examine the classed and gendered character of this migration wave, as well as its translocal character. I document and seek to understand the nature of this early 21st century human mobility, facilitated by the advances of internet, communication and travel technologies while simultaneously revealing “traditional” aspects of being away from home. I follow the migrants in their journeys and learn about the complex dynamics of their lives lived locally and on the move. Crucially, I try to apprehend my own positioning as a migrant/woman/researcher and figure out whether (e)migration lives up to the expectations of a “better life”. // ContentIntroduction.Chapter 1 Polish Capitalism and the Legacies of Communism and CatholicismChapter 2 Post-2004 Polish Migration to Ireland.Chapter 3 Theorising Contemporary Migration.Chapter 4 Researching Contemporary Migration: Methodological ConsiderationsChapter 5 The Trans-local Habitus: Reproducing Rurality in Migration.Chapter 6 Ordinary People Living Normal Lives: Formations of the Migrant Working ClassChapter 7 Making Migration Livable: Negotiations between Mobility and EmplacementChapter 8 Polish Masculinities and Femininities: Constructions of Gender Identities in MigrationConclusion.

Lviv and Łódź at the Turn of 20th Century. Structure of Economic Space

Lviv and Łódź at the Turn of 20th Century. Structure of Economic Space

Author(s): Bartosz Bartosiewicz,Mykoła Habrel,Natalia Lysyak,Anna Hoblyk,Stanisław Kozłowski,Svitlana Shults,Iwona Pielesiak / Language(s): English

Keywords: Lviv;Łódź;technical infrastructure;housing;economic space;socio-economic linkages

The attempt to make a comparative study of Lviv and Łódź in search of certain regularities seems at the first glimpse rather farfetched, because apparently there are rather few analogies between the city of Lviv with its long history and multifunctional tradition and the monofunctional, rather young, industrial city of Łódź. But deeper analysis shows that despite many differences in the course of the history of both cities, some common tendencies can be traced, such as dynamic demographic and spatial development in the second half of the 19th century based on introduction of railway transport, the building of socio-economic and spatial structures of these cities by multi-cultural local communities, and going through half-a-century period of centralized socialist economy after the Second World War. Lviv and Łódź regained political independence almost at the same time (1989 in Poland and 1991 in Ukraine) and entered the route of democratic development, undergoing political and socio-economic transformations during the last 20 years. As a result of these processes as well as the influence of globalization, today we can observe in Łódź and in Lviv similar problems and phenomena, influencing their spatial development and functional restructuring.

Industry 4.0. Germany’s New Industrial Policy

Industry 4.0. Germany’s New Industrial Policy

Author(s): Konrad Popławski,Rafał Bajczuk / Language(s): English

Keywords: Germany; Fourth Industrial revolution; internet; computerization; roboticisation; automatization; smart cities; smart factories; digital revolution; heavy industry; electronics; automotive branch;

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterised by the extensive use of the internet and the computerisation & roboticisation of all spheres of the economy. Its symbols today are smartphones and electric cars, but in the near future we will witness the creation and use of smart cities, smart electrical grids and smart factories. Today’s industry is changing at an unprecedented rate. The earlier industrial revolutions, i.e. periods of fundamental changes in the modes of production and communication, proceeded at a much slower pace than those we are observing today. The first industrial revolution utilised coal and steam to mechanise production and transport. The second disseminated the means of mass production by the use of electricity and the internal combustion engine. The third, digital revolution, which began in the middle of the last century, automated industrial production and globalised communication. The German economy, which reached a very high level of sophistication in the industries of the first and second industrial revolutions – in heavy industry, electronics and the automotive branch – did not benefit so greatly from the digital revolution.

Fletcherian Dramatic Achievement: A Study in the Mature Plays of John Fletcher (1579–1625)

Fletcherian Dramatic Achievement: A Study in the Mature Plays of John Fletcher (1579–1625)

Author(s): Pavel Drábek / Language(s): English

Keywords: John Fletcher; Fletcherian style; Baroque mode; Fletcherian drama; mature plays; 1579-1625;

The mature plays of John Fletcher, Shakespeare’s collaborator and successor with the King’s Men, have received little critical attention. This book analyzes the specifics of mature Fletcherian style, proposing a reading that agrees with the Baroque mode. Special attention is given to anachronistic conventions that have been appllied to Fletcherian drama.

Research conference on constructions, economy of constructions, architecture, urbanism and territorial development. Abstract Proceedings

Conferinţa de cercetare în construcţii, economia construcţiilor, urbanism şi amenajarea teritoriului. Rezumate ale lucrărilor

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Romanian

Keywords: URBAN-INCERC; conferinţă; conference; urbanism; amenajarea teritoriului; spatial planning; construcţii; buildings; constructions;

Includes abstracts of the papers presented in the research conference on constructions, economy of buildings, architecture, urban and territorial development.

India in the Reform Process: Opportunities for Poland

Indie w procesie reform: szanse dla Polski

Author(s): Patryk Kugiel / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: India; emerging power; India’s growing influence; global economy; global politics; military power; democracy;

Indie są dziś jednym ze wschodzących mocarstw, które będą wywierały rosnący wpływ na globalną gospodarkę i politykę. To siódmy największy kraj na świecie pod względem terytorium i drugi pod względem liczby mieszkańców (ponad 1,3 mld). To też siódma gospodarka w wartościach bezwzględnych i trzecia pod względem parytetu siły nabywczej (purchasing power parity, PPP). Z tempem wzrostu PKB powyżej 7% w 2016 r., rozwijała się najszybciej wśród państw G20, szybciej niż Chiny. To też potęga militarna, kraj mający broń jądrową, drugą największą armię i będący głównym na świecie importerem uzbrojenia. To w końcu największa ludnościowo demokracja świata.

The Burden of the Balkans

The Burden of the Balkans

Author(s): Edith Durham / Language(s): English

At the end of 1903, the British traveller and writer Edith Durham (1863-1944) departed for a five-month stay in the Balkans to take part in humanitarian work on behalf of the Macedonian Relief Committee. This journey and the appalling situation in the rebellious region are the focus of her book „The Burden of the Balkans“ (published initially in London in 1905). It also includes an account of her first lengthy expedition, on horseback and on foot, through the wilds of southern and central Albania.With the many dashes of irony and humour, at which Edith Durham was a master, „The Burden of the Balkans“ is a work that can still be savoured by all.

Grammatical Number in Psycholinguistic Research

Grammatical Number in Psycholinguistic Research

Author(s): Piotr Gulgowski / Language(s): English

Keywords: grammatical number; numerical cognition; literature overview; psycholinguistics; neurolinguistics

The category of grammatical number is common in natural languages. Attested number systems rangę from a simple choice between singular and plural forms to morę complex number value arrangements involving, for example, dual and trial numbers. Grammatical number has an impact on almost every major part of language organization from morphosyniax through semantics to pragmatic reasoning. Mastering number forms is also a major step in language acąuisition. For these reasons, grammatical number can be of great interest to researchers inrestigating the psychology of language. This monograph discusses the findings of studies from several areas of experimental psycholinguistics. The discussed studies include seminal works in each area spanning multiple decades of research and illustrating the major investigation directions. The selection of works is also intended to familiarize the reader with the experimental techniąues employed to study different aspects of grammatical number processing, which encompass behavioral methods (number judgments, word recall, lexical decision, picture naming) as well as techniąues for monitoring the brain activity (EEG, fMRl). In addition to the overview of the literaturę dedicated to investigating grammatical number processing, the paper also offers a brief śummary of the typology of grammatical number systems in world languages and discusses the most important findings of the research on numerical cognition

An English-Polish Dictionary of Linguistic Terms

An English-Polish Dictionary of Linguistic Terms

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Polish

Keywords: English-Polish dictionary; linguistics; Polish-English glossary of terms

An English-Polish Dictionary of Linguistic Terms is addressed mainly to students pursuing degrees in modern languages, who enrolled in linguistics courses, and more specifically, to those who are writing their MA dissertations on topics from the field of linguistics. The dictionary may be utilized during English lessons by teachers, by translators of texts from the field of linguistics, and more broadly, by those interested in the practical application of research on language; it could be of great assistance in the process of acquiring and understanding of numerous terms and notions commonly used in linguistics. An additional benefit for the prospective users of the dictionary is being able familiarize oneself with Polish equivalents of English linguistics terms. As for the selection of discussed entries, our dictionary is not restricted to a specific area of linguistic study or particular period thereof, but rather encompasses the wide variety of linguistic schools up to the beginnings of the 21st century. Also, while editing the chosen entries, we took into account the linguistics’ correspondence and interrelations with other disciplines of knowledge, such as: logic, philosophy, psychology. So often referred to by linguists themselves. Our dictionary also includes a Polish-English glossary of terms.

English Literature Advancing Through History 4

English Literature Advancing Through History 4

Author(s): Petru Golban / Language(s): English

Keywords: English literature; 18th century; literary history;

It appears that literary work possesses eternal temporal validity due to its autonomous aesthetic value, whereas criticism provides points of view having temporary and transitory significance. Despite such claims, the vector of methodology in our series of books, dealing with the history of English literature, relies on Viktor Shklovsky, T. S. Eliot, Mikhail Bakhtin, and especially Yuri Tynyanov, whose main reasoning would be that literature is a system of dominant, central and peripheral, marginalized elements – to us, “tradition” (centre) versus “innovation” (margin) engaged in a “battle” for supremacy, demarginalization, and the right to form a new literary system – and the development or historical advancement of literature is the substitution of systems. Roman Jakobson and French structuralism, on the whole, later Linda Hutcheon, with her “system” and “constant”, and Bran Nicol with the “dominant”, to say nothing about Itamar Even-Zohar and his theory of polysystem, to a certain extent Julia Kristeva, and even Homi Bhabha – as well as our humble contribution, we would like to believe – maintain Tynyanov’s line of thinking and concepts alive, which have developed and emerged nowadays more like a kind of “neo-formalism”. Focusing on literary practice, applying critical theory and emerging from within our own teaching experience, the books in the present series are theoretical and surveyistic, like a monograph, whereas their more practical and text-oriented aspect should appeal as a student handbook for didactic purposes, in which certain literary works belonging to various writers of different trends, movements, and periods are analysed and compared with regard to their source, form, thematic arrangements, ideas, motifs, character representation strategies, intertextual perspectives, structural or narrative techniques, and other aspects.

Athos

Athos

Author(s): Aleksander, Wojciech Mikołajczak,Rafał Dymczyk / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Holy Mount Athos; Orthodox; Hesychasm; sense of hearing; Actor Theory NetWork (ANT); affective turn

The inquiries presented in this monograph cover the audible dimension of the religious and cultural heritage created by the Orthodox monastic communities that have existed for a thousand years on the Holy Mount Athos in Greece. The research shows the scope and method of using the sense of hearing and sounds as creators and receptors of material and spiritual reality, manifested in liturgical singing, art, as well as in mysticism, prayer and the everyday way of life of monks. It is also about the specificity of the church architecture, subordinated to the acoustics of the voice. The scale of the involvement of hearing in the creation and interpretation of Athos reality is determined by two factors – the extraction of sounds from the creations of nature, the human vocal apparatus and the works of human hands. As a result of the auditory integration of the world of sounds, the acoustic landscape of the Holy Mountain is created. It is an expression of the emotive perception of reality, which thus acquires a deeply human dimension. It fits in with the metaphysical perspective of experiencing God in sonic hierophany. The use of the sense of hearing in this experiencing the Athos sacrum is described in the following chapters, taking into account 5 aspects of the sound landscape of the Holy Mountain: (1) the specificity of the auditory experience of the sacred, (2) the characteristics of silence as a space of hesychasm, (3) voices of nature, (4) sounds produced in the space of culture, (5) liturgical singing.