Documents found
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661.More information
This article offers an analysis of the social origins of the religious and political conflicts in the Iberian Peninsula during the XVth century. The theoretical argument mobilizes both an analysis of social closures and an analysis of the generative grammar of social property regimes in order to reconstruct the logic of social conflicts during the era of absolutist consolidation. The empirical section reconstructs the contentions and conflicts which lead to the framing of the Conversos under the statutes of pure blood. The author argues that even though Medieval Spain did not developed a scientific theory of “races”, the administrative authority did developed a form of social closure grounded on heredity with lethal consequences for the Jewish population of Spain.
Keywords: Régime social de propriété, clôture sociale, judaïsme, antisémitisme, Espagne, sociologie historique, Social Property Regimes, Social Closures, Judaism, Antisemitism, Spain, Historical Sociology, Régimen social de propiedad, límites sociales, judaísmo, antisemitismo, España, sociología histórica
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664.More information
A unique source on the practical aspects of the scientia astrorum (astronomy and astrology) in medieval Europe has come down to us in the shape of a letter written shortly after 1246 by John of London, an astronomer based in Paris. John used the letter to answer eight questions on technical problems posed to him by his addressee, a certain R. de Guedingue, with subject matters ranging from the rate of precession to the dates of the so-called Dog Days. The article makes this source available via a critical edition (based upon three manuscripts) and an accompanying English translation. An introduction discusses the background and transmission of John’s letter as well as the identities of the letter writer and addressee. The edition and translation are followed by commentaries elucidating the background to each of the eight questions and John’s answers to them.
Keywords: Medieval Astronomy, Astrology, Horoscopes, Thirteenth Century, John Of London, University Of Paris
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665.More information
“Rite of Passage” describes a court case raised by an android/artificial intelligence who wishes to apply for citizenship but can only do so if recognized as a human. Among others, the case exposes the vague definition of the term “human”, and the trouble of supplying evidence of sentience or consciousness even in humans. The ethical problems involved in the story can be ascribed to many actual events, among them the recent debate on splicing monkey and human DNA for the sake of producing hybrids with organs suitable for transplantation. The story also touches upon ethical conflicts with regards to endangered wildlife, global warming, media exploitation, commodification, and labor unions.
Keywords: android, artificial intelligence, climate fiction, commodification, consciousness, global warming, geoengineering, citizenship, human rights, android, intelligence artificielle, fiction climatique, commodification, conscience, réchauffement climatique, géoingénierie, citoyenneté, droits humains
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670.