Search Results (105)

In contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, the evil God challenge has been developed by several authors as a parody argument. Proponents of this challenge contend that, given the goods in our world, the hypothesis of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnimalevolent God or the Evil God is absurd. Similarly, they argue, we should conclude that the hypothesis of a good God is also absurd due to the evils present in our world. This paper argues that, with the aid of this challenge and other contemporary debates in the philosophy of religion, one can make the case that a reintroduction of Manichaeism into philosophy of religion is worthwhile. This argument will propose that, considering our total evidence, the Good-God and the Evil-God demonstrate a similar level of support. Additionally, under a reconstructed Manichaean hypothesis, good and evil are seen as mutually explanatory. Furthermore, the natural order can be understood within this framework. Therefore, the Manichaean hypothesis could serve as a viable alternative to monotheistic theism; it can account for the co-existence of good and evil and is compatible with the observed order in nature. Full article

This paper investigates an approach to studying analytic relations (identity, similarity, borrowing, etc.) between literary characters using properties and, in particular, properties that are interpretively considered as diagnostic. In our proposal, properties serve as interpretative tools rather than strict ontological features. Unlike most ontological theories of literary characters developed in analytic philosophy, our study focuses on how real-world interpreters construct textual meaning while remaining agnostic about the ontological status of literary entities (ficta, in a more general sense). By integrating perspectives from literary criticism, philosophy, and formal methods, we explore how scholars infer relations between characters through textual evidence, common knowledge, and interpretive frameworks. This research aims at refining methodological approaches to character analysis and at contributing to broader discussions on literary interpretation and fictionality. Full article

Ritual prayer (ṣalāh) is one of the most central and enduring practices in Islam, widely recognized for its spiritual significance. However, its educational and formative role in shaping the Muslim’s inner self and moral identity remains insufficiently explored in contemporary scholarship. This paper aims to examine ritual prayer as a core pedagogical tool within Islamic education, focusing on its transformative power in the processes of self-purification (tazkiyah) and identity formation. The study seeks to analyze the ethical and psychological dimensions of ṣalāh, drawing on classical Islamic sources, as well as integrating insights from contemporary critical philosophy—particularly Byung-Chul Han’s Vita Contemplativa—and Islamic virtue ethics, including perspectives such as those advanced by Elizabeth Bucar. Through this framework, the paper explores how prayer shapes inner dispositions like humility, mindfulness, sincerity, patience, and submission, reinforcing both spiritual awareness and communal belonging. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study engages Qur’anic verses, prophetic traditions, and traditional pedagogical literature to investigate how ṣalāh functions as a lived and repeated experience that cultivates the soul and molds ethical behavior. The discussion highlights how regular performance of prayer integrates belief with action and contributes to the formation of a reflective and morally grounded Muslim identity. This paper contributes to the field of Islamic Practical Theology by demonstrating how ritual prayer operates as a dynamic and holistic model for moral and spiritual development. It provides educators and scholars with a theoretical and applied vision for incorporating ṣalāh-based character education into Islamic curricula. Future research may explore how prayer interacts with modern lifestyles, digital spiritual practices, and intergenerational transmission of religious identity in diverse contexts. Full article

Data preprocessing and feature engineering play key roles in data mining initiatives, as they have a significant impact on the accuracy, reproducibility, and interpretability of analytical results. This review presents an analysis of state-of-the-art techniques and tools that can be used in data input preparation and data manipulation to be processed by mining tasks in diverse application scenarios. Additionally, basic preprocessing techniques are discussed, including data cleaning, normalisation, and encoding, as well as more sophisticated approaches regarding feature construction, selection, and dimensionality reduction. This work considers manual and automated methods, highlighting their integration in reproducible, large-scale pipelines by leveraging modern libraries. We also discuss assessment methods of preprocessing effects on precision, stability, and bias–variance trade-offs for models, as well as pipeline integrity monitoring, when operating environments vary. We focus on emerging issues regarding scalability, fairness, and interpretability, as well as future directions involving adaptive preprocessing and automation guided by ethically sound design philosophies. This work aims to benefit both professionals and researchers by shedding light on best practices, while acknowledging existing research questions and innovation opportunities. Full article

Background: The nursing licensure examination is the final assessment of the university curriculum, certifying that students have acquired the competencies necessary for practicing the profession. Understanding the meaning and usefulness attributed to this test can contribute to the international debate on its value and potential continuation. In Italy, most studies in this field involve Directors of Degree Courses, while research on the lived experience of newly graduated nurses in facing the examination is lacking. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the lived experience of newly graduated nurses during the licensure examination. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted. Video–audio-recorded interviews were conducted and analyzed using Giorgi’s descriptive method, inspired by Husserl’s philosophy. Results: Fifteen nurses participated. The thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four significant areas: preparation and support received, ambivalent experience of the exam, emotions experienced during the exam, and the symbolic value ascribed to the exam itself. Each thematic area was further articulated into subthemes, for a total of ten analytical subdimensions. The licensure examination holds multiple meanings for new graduates: an opportunity for verification, a rite of passage, but also an emotionally charged event. While it represents a fundamental moment for constructing a professional identity, it also requires critical reflection on assessment methods, the fairness of the system, and the true educational value of the examination. Conclusions: Understanding the elements that influence the examination experience can help educators improve student preparation and promote a smoother transition to the professional role. Full article

This article explores the intersection of time and eternity as it is expressed in the liturgical theology and the theology of John’s Prologue. Drawing on a “thesis–thesis” methodology that juxtaposes scriptural and liturgical theologies, the study offers an interdisciplinary dialogue between these disciplines. While biblical scholars such as Bernadetta Jojko and Raymond Brown elucidate the Johannine vision of divine preexistence and Incarnation as a movement from eternity into time, liturgical theologians such as Alexander Schmemann and Odo Casel describe the Mass as a movement from time into eternity. Through a comparative reading of John 1:1–2 and 1:14 alongside classical and modern liturgical sources—including Pseudo-Dionysius, Maximus the Confessor, Casel, and Guardini—the article seeks to identify a mode of eternal–temporal simultaneity that challenges the claims of analytic philosophers like William Lane Craig. Ultimately, the liturgy is shown to be both a sacramental representation of Christ’s temporal sacrifice and a real participation in the eternal heavenly liturgy. Full article

Evaluating performance is a necessary and specific process across all sectors and organizational levels, shaped by context, indicators, and purpose. Considering global sustainability transitions, understanding financial performance entails a deeper perspective on technical accuracy, conceptual clarity, and systemic integration. This study investigates how financial performance is assessed and interpreted in sustainability-focused research, drawing on a bibliometric analysis of 490 articles indexed in the Web of Science from 2007 to 2023. Using SciMAT, we traced thematic evolutions and revealed a fragmented research landscape marked by competing theoretical, methodological, and practical orientations. To address this conceptual dispersion, we applied the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate five key alternatives to financial-performance assessment (quantitative measurement, definition-oriented reasoning, theoretical frameworks, experiential comparison, and integration with sustainability and ethics) against three conceptual criteria (philosophical depth, holistic scope, and multidisciplinary relevance). The results highlight a strong preference for holistic and integrative models of financial performance, with quantitative measurement ranking highest in practical terms, followed by experiential and sustainability-driven approaches. These results underscore the need to align financial evaluation more closely with sustainability values, bridging short-term metrics with long-term societal impact. By combining diachronic thematic mapping with structured decision analysis, this study advances a more reflective and forward-looking framework for performance research. It contributes to sustainability research by identifying underexplored epistemological pathways and supporting the development of financial evaluation models that are inclusive, ethically grounded, and aligned with sustainable development goals. Full article

Focusing on the legend of Phaedra and Hippolytus as developed in Euripides and Seneca and especially in Racine’s Phèdre and taking into account as well its further development in works by Camillo Boito, Luchino Visconti, and Yukio Mishima, I make the following arguments: (1) Contrary to many theologians and philosophers of love, a pathological form of love that issues in murder and suicide should not be regarded as unworthy of serious attention. Racine’s tragedy provides a catharsis for universal experiences of unrequited love and jealousy, a major human phenomenon. (2) Contrary to Paul Valéry, Phèdre’s love cannot be called merely animal, since the analytical insight she develops into her morbid passion carries tremendous moral force and lies at the origin of the European psychological novel, as launched by Madame de La Fayette a year later. (3) Contrary to François Mauriac, even if she is a heroine of desire or concupiscence rather than of “true love” (in contrast to the relatively innocent affections of Hippolyte and Aricie), the incredible beauty of her language resists such an easy categorization. (4) Study of concrete presentations of “love” in literature confirms that the meaning and use of this word is marked by an irreducible pluralism. Philosophical and theological analysis of love has to come to terms with this. (5) The role of a work of art, in crystallizing archetypical emotions and situations in a way that carries authority, is to provide the middle ground between the abstractions of philosophy on the one hand and the uncontrollable diversity of the empirical on the other. Even psychologies or sociologies of love, which claim to be close to the concrete data, need to be anchored in and corrected by the special concrete vision that only great literature can bring. Full article

In the digital age, the mechanisms of power and control have evolved beyond Foucault’s disciplinary societies, giving rise to a new paradigm of algorithmic governance. This study critically reinterprets Foucault’s concept of the human subject in light of contemporary digital surveillance, big data analytics, and algorithmic decision-making. The paper looks at how technology, biopolitics, and subject formation interact. It says that algorithmic control changes people’s choices in ways that have never been seen before through predictive modeling and real-time behavioral modulation. The study starts with a comparison of early Foucauldian frameworks and more recent theories of digital governance. It uses a method that combines philosophy, media studies, and political theory. The results show that while disciplinary societies relied on institutionalized norms and body regulation, algorithmic control works through data-driven anticipatory mechanisms, which make subjectivity less clear and more broken up. This shift raises ethical and ontological questions about autonomy, resistance, and the very notion of the self in a hyper-connected society. The study concludes that rethinking Foucault’s insights in the digital era is essential for understanding and contesting the pervasive influence of algorithmic power on human subjectivity. Full article

This paper addresses the longstanding tension between reason and revelation in Islamic religious epistemology, with a focus on the thought of Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328). It aims to reassess his critique of philosophical theology (falsafa and kalām) and explore his constructive alternative to rationalist metaphysics. The study adopts a descriptive–analytical methodology, combining close textual reading of Darʾ Taʿāruḍ al-ʿAql wa al-Naql and Naqd al-Manṭiq with conceptual analysis informed by contemporary religious epistemology and philosophy of religion. The findings reveal that Ibn Taymiyyah advances a triadic epistemological model centered on revelation (naql), reason (ʿaql), and innate disposition (fiṭrah). He refutes the autonomy of reason, redefines logic as a tool rather than a judge, and repositions fiṭrah as an intuitive foundation for belief. His approach emphasizes the harmony of sound reason with authentic revelation and challenges the epistemic assumptions of speculative theology. By presenting a comparative table of rationalist and Taymiyyan epistemologies, the study demonstrates how Ibn Taymiyyah’s framework anticipates key themes in Reformed Epistemology and the cognitive science of religion. The conclusions suggest that his vision offers a coherent, theocentric paradigm for religious knowledge that is highly relevant to the contemporary philosophy of religion and Islamic theology. Full article

Despite advanced aviation safety systems, recurring operational failures demonstrate that current safety management system (SMS) implementation practices remain predominantly reactive, with organizations adopting SMS frameworks theoretically embracing Safety-II philosophy while continuing Safety-I-oriented reactive management. This study develops an integrated framework for implementing both Safety-I and Safety-II principles in aviation safety management, addressing the gap between SMS theoretical requirements and actual implementation. Using the HEAR (human error analysis and reduction) framework, we analyzed three representative aviation cases involving FMS operation, turbulence response, and aircraft energy management through a qualitative multiple-case study design. Data collection utilized internal safety reports, official investigation reports, and reconstructed operational scenarios. The analysis employed a four-phase approach integrating predetermined categorization with inductive pattern recognition. Results revealed that 87% of all causes were organizational factors—6.7 times higher than individual/task factors (13%)—yet safety management responses primarily target individual behaviors. We defined “flight crew’s resilient behavior” and developed implementation guidelines by integrating the HEAR framework with the LPAC (learn, plan, adapt, coordinate) model and PAM (pressures, adaptations, and manifestations) framework. Effectiveness evaluation demonstrated a transition from 54 discrete contributing factors to 19 systematically related factors with clearer implementation pathways. Our integrated framework enables organizations to systematically implement both Safety-I analytical capabilities and Safety-II adaptive responses, transforming safety management from reactive “failure prevention” to proactive “success expansion”. Full article

“Martial arts” is a popular phrase in popular and academic discourse but notoriously difficult to define. This article addresses the challenge of defining martial arts, demonstrating the multifarious and sometimes contradictory nature of how the term is conceived in different contexts. Consulting a range of perspectives, the article is critical of essentialist positions in locating a permanent set of features common to all martial arts because definitions under such positions fail to consider these practices’ fluidity, hybridity, and historical evolution. Instead, the article advances a more pragmatic and contextual definition of martial arts, appealing to nominalism and diaeresis to build context-specific definitions appropriate for particular analytical or practical purposes. Acknowledging the diversity and complexity inherent in martial arts, the article suggests that scholars and practitioners can move beyond strict classification and engage in more fruitful discussions regarding these practices’ history, culture, and philosophy. Lastly, the article promotes a more inclusive and dynamic system that recognises both traditional and modern forms of martial arts without being constrained by the strictures of essentialist definitions. Full article

Sustainability is a modern design philosophy, and this concept prompted this study to focus on the possibility of achieving sustainability principles practically by using artificial intelligence techniques to create sustainable contemporary furniture elements inspired by the heritage and arts of Arabic calligraphy. Heritage-inspired design has cultural meaning and significance as a type of sustainable thinking. Arabic calligraphy has multiple forms and the possibility of adapting it, in addition to its role in enriching the cultural and creative stock. This study aimed to benefit from Arabic calligraphy as a source to enrich and sustain furniture design that is characterized by authenticity and modernity, and to preserve a heritage design product by reformulating it using artificial intelligence methods. In a way that enhances belonging and preserves the community’s heritage and values from extinction, this study followed the descriptive analytical approach in identifying the origins and characteristics of Arabic calligraphy, analyzing its vocabulary, reformulating it, and drawing inspiration from it to enrich furniture designs, in addition to the experimental approach in the applied study through the use of different techniques and materials. The results of this study concluded that there are various aesthetic values in the use of Arabic calligraphy that can be used to create contemporary furniture designs using artificial intelligence techniques to preserve its sustainability. In addition to opening up broad possibilities for creativity and innovation by integrating Arabic calligraphy into furniture design using artificial intelligence technology, this study recommended the need to pay attention to studying the sustainability of heritage and arts in general in appreciation of art and its preservation. Full article

The aircraft landing gear system is vital in ensuring the aircraft’s functional completeness and operational safety. The mechanical structures of the landing gear must withstand significant operational forces, including repeated high-intensity impact loads, throughout their service life. At the same time, they must resist environmental degradation, such as corrosion, temperature fluctuations, and humidity, to ensure structural integrity and long-term reliability. Under this premise, investigating material-related mechanical failures in the landing gear is of great significance for preventing landing gear failures and ensuring aviation safety. Compared to failure investigations, structural health monitoring (SHM) plays a more active role in failure prevention for aircraft landing gears. SHM technologies identify the precursors of potential failures and continuously monitor the operational or health conditions of landing gear structures, which facilitates condition-based maintenance. This paper reviews various landing gear material-related failure investigations. The review suggests a significant portion of these failures can be attributed to material fatigue, which is either induced by abnormal high-stress concentration or corrosion. This paper also reviews a series of load monitoring-based landing gear SHM studies. It is revealed that weight and balance measurement, hard landing detection, and structure load monitoring are the most typical monitoring activities in landing gears. An analytical discussion is also presented on the correlation between reviewed landing gear failures and SHM activities, a comparison of sensors, and the potential shift in load-based landing gear SHM in response to the transition of landing gear design philosophy from safe life to damage tolerance. Full article

Gas sensor-based electronic noses (e-noses) have gained considerable attention over the past thirty years, leading to the publication of numerous research studies focused on both the development of these instruments and their various applications. Nonetheless, the limited specificity of gas sensors, along with the common requirement for chemical identification, has led to the adaptation and incorporation of analytical chemistry instruments into the e-nose framework. Although instrument-based e-noses exhibit greater specificity to gasses than traditional ones, they still produce data that require correction in order to build reliable predictive models. In this work, we introduce the use of a multivariate signal processing workflow for datasets from a multi-capillary column ion mobility spectrometer-based e-nose. Adhering to the electronic nose philosophy, these workflows prioritized untargeted approaches, avoiding dependence on traditional peak integration techniques. A comprehensive validation process demonstrates that the application of this preprocessing strategy not only mitigates overfitting but also produces parsimonious models, where classification accuracy is maintained with simpler, more interpretable structures. This reduction in model complexity offers significant advantages, providing more efficient and robust models without compromising predictive performance. This strategy was successfully tested on an olive oil dataset, showcasing its capability to improve model parsimony and generalization performance. Full article