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Hope is a theological virtue, and a great human need as well. In the Christian sense, it is an expectation of the ultimate fulfillment of human desires in God. In turn, the promises brought to man by technological development, which leads to the stage of transhumanism, where man in his human condition will be modified and even replaced by a machine, are a certain form of fulfillment of human hopes. In consequence, due to interference with its nature, the human body will become stronger, healthier, less susceptible to the effects of time, and resistant to injuries. Moreover, an expanded set of senses will enable man to receive more fully the wealth of impressions from the environment in which he lives. However, the promise of transhumanism does not fall within Christian hope, nor does it constitute the implementation of its goals. Instead, it stems from the boundless belief in the progress of man who is completely enclosed in a horizontal perspective. Christianity, in contrast, perceives the fulfillment of human hopes through a personal relationship with the risen Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialogue needs provocative interlocutors. Instilling a grave and shuddering awakening to the conscience, Emmanuel Levinas has provided a corpus of writings unveiling an immemorial horizon and divine calling of infinite responsibility before the other, the brother/sister stranger. Roger Burggraeve has animated Levinas' writings within a Christian theological horizon as a source of formation in the service of promoting biblical wisdom and love in the life of faith. The writings of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis together portray a Catholic theological gravity to bring dialogue into a spiritual, practical, and social domain. Accordingly, this article develops the notion of dialogue within a Jewish and Christian lens by introducing the sense of the non-reciprocal character of dialogue, an asymmetrical relation of responsibility to the other evidencing the preconditions of dialogue. Levinas' notion of non-reciprocal dialogue, taken further by the writings of Burggraeve, reveals a pre-original affectivity or 'dialogical' character of interpersonal relations of commitment respecting the other's mystery and unknowability. This means that the dialogical relation is a pathway of ethical transcendence, a holy ground evoking an integral human ecology of maternity and fraternity. Such covenantal alterity in spiritual theological terms signifies an affectivity of atonement and redemptive love. In this way, the movement towards dialogue reveals a synodal path and holy ground to walk together and imagine an integral ecology of difference and mystery to transform words into sacrifice and truth into redemptive love. Journeying together upon such holy ground witnesses to a spiritual theology of dialogue envisioning a place to hear the "good news" (Lk 4:16) and encounter "the hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt 5:6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Let m be a positive integer, (w n) be a sequence of positive integers, and (y n) be a sequence of nonzero integers with y 1 ≥ 1 . Define q 0 = 1 , q 1 = w 0 , q n + 1 = q n - 1 (w n q n m + y n) (n ≥ 1) . Under certain assumptions on (w n) and (y n) , we give the exact value of the irrationality exponent of the number ξ = ∑ n = 1 ∞ (- 1) n - 1 y 1 y 2 ⋯ y n q n q n - 1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-transcendence and the associated decrease in ego-centeredness are understood to foster altruistic and positive behaviors that promote prosociality and pro-environmental actions. However, the lack of an agreed valid and reliable measure of self-transcendence has posed difficulties in examining this subject. The main aim of this study was to use the recently developed Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS), which assesses dysfunctional ego-centeredness as an inhibiter of self-transcendent change, as a proxy measure to examine whether self-transcendence is indeed related to such "selfless" prosocial and pro-nature behaviors. Secondary aims were to examine ontological addiction (OA) and these behaviors in relation to competitiveness and ego-driven manifestations of prosociality. These relationships were examined via self-report measures in a cross-sectional cohort study of 287 UK adult participants. Findings revealed associations with competitiveness that broadly reflect its association with ego-centeredness through significant correlations with OA, and significant negative correlations with both prosociality and pro-nature behavior. They also supported earlier findings of a significant relationship between OA and measures of anxiety and depression. However, the expected negative correlations between OA and both prosociality and pro-nature behavior were not evidenced, which raises questions regarding the notion of OA as a conceptual antithesis of self-transcendence and/or whether measures of pro-sociality and pro-nature behavior adequately account for "selfish" or "impure" motivations that may underly these behaviors. Implications and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirituality involves being in harmony with the cosmos or nature and a willingness to engage in good works for the sake of mankind; for instance, love for one another, care for the environment, and the production and protection of the common good for society. Spirituality could also be defined as the connectedness with nature or the cosmos, seeing beyond the circumstances of one’s limitation and the suffering one encounters (transcendence) and understanding one purpose and meaning of one existence. In an African context, spirituality is experienced by many people as being in touch with one’s spirit which is an indication of integration of the body with the spirit and without this spiritual aspect of the essence of oneself, it becomes natural to see and feel problem. When one is permanently established on the platform of the Transcendental Being, life is lived in eternal freedom and enjoyment of blissfulness throughout the day. In this vein, the self silently witnesses daily activity. This is the essence of TM practice where practitioners experience spiritual upliftment. Though much research has been done on TM globally, the spiritual lived experiences of the practitioners have not been adequately explored, especially in South Africa and Ghana. Therefore, the study sought to explore the spiritual lived experiences of TM practitioners in South Africa and Ghana. The study adopted the constructivist paradigm through the lens of phenomenology. In all, 28 participants took part in the study − 14 participants from South Africa and another 14 from Ghana. Open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data for the study. Husserl’s transcendental phenomenological data analysis was used to analyze and synthesize the descriptions of the spiritual lived experiences of the TM practitioners. The results suggest that TM act as a catalyst for the spiritual growth of the participants from both countries and that they experienced spiritual upliftment with the practice of TM. However, two participants both females were of the view that TM has nothing to do with their spirituality. It is the recommendation of this study that people who seek a spiritual path to discover their purpose and meaning in life explore this technique although there are other paths toward spiritual enlightenment. For instance, Christian’s contemplations player and Sufism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirituality is a basic human drive with diverse forms of expression that make for unique thinking and as such, it is the ultimate end of human development. Constituents of spirituality may best be delineated by the humanistic perspective as it readily meets the demands of the not-so-religious today. The proposed Humanistic Spirituality Inventory is based on the humanistic spirituality model, which captures spirituality's content domain. The inventory contains three scales corresponding to the three model components: (1) Self-actualization, which implies a mature perception of reality, spontaneity, creativity, peak experiences, personal growth, detachment, Gemeinschafsgefühl, and profound interpersonal relations; (2) Transcendence, which implies belief in the supernatural reality, self-transcendence, and a holistic approach to Being; and (3) Ultimate Meaning in Life, which entails the awareness of faith-inspired directedness and ontological significance of life. The current study (N = 331) explores the development and psychometric properties of the instrument, that is, its content and construct validity as well as internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The results of the study support the good psychometric properties of the Humanistic Spirituality Inventory and suggest that it can be used as a proper measure in the assessment of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from 52 countries in Wave 5 of the World Value Survey conducted during 2004 and 2008, we test two alternative approaches in spirituality measures. The first is based on the more traditional understanding that spirituality is associated with meanings, God, prayers/meditation and formal religions. The second is based on the common spiritual teachings of all the major religions that are summarized by the LIFE (Love, Insight or Wisdom, Fortitude and Engagement) framework proposed by Ho, LS (2014). Psychology and Economics of Happiness: Love, Life and Positive Living. Oxford: Routledge. It was found that this alternative approach, which focuses on the spiritual teachings rather than theology, offers better explanatory power for Total Life Satisfaction (TLS). An interesting finding is that under this specification the coefficient on meaning turned negative, suggesting that those whose lives are weak in Love, Insight, Fortitude and Engagement have yet to find meaning and are less happy. Through a series of stepwise regressions, we conclude that more spiritual people are indeed happier (H1); that religious people indeed tend to be happier mainly because religious people tend to be more spiritual (H2); that the essence of spirituality and meaning lies in Love, Insight, Fortitude and Engagement (H3). These virtues are all grounded on transcending the narrow self and on a "reverence for Life" as propounded by Schweitzer. Finally, religious attendance does promote happiness. The effect is small but stable and statistically significant. It may have to do with the social network this offers (H4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper submits that the hegemonic order in celebrity studies is fixated upon questions of utility, yield and economic asset value. These technical considerations support a technocratic engagement with celebrity that exaggerates the importance of technology and linearity. By the same token, it devalues philosophical perspectives that address questions of Transcendence and Ultimate Meaning. The term 'Triangulation' is introduced to describe the dominant paradigm in celebrity studies. The paper develops the case that to ignore these philosophical issues impoverishes the domain of celebrity studies. The value of these questions is demonstrated by discussing the relevance of Kant's concepts of noumena and noumena, Hegel's account of World Historical Individuals. This material is used to advance the value of phenomenological perspectives, notably the contributions of Bergson and Husserl, in respect of time and space, in the analysis of celebrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old age is a stage of life during which a person must confront the changes that occur both in the reality around them and in themself. Those are changes at the biological, psychological and social levels. Adapting to old age and the roles it brings becomes a difficult and demanding task. One of the most important developmental tasks of an elderly person is developing wisdom that can support and facilitate the process of adaptation to old age. Entering the period of late adulthood is therefore a special opportunity for further development and self-creative action of the individual leading to the creation of a mature identity of an old person. The aim of this text is to provide insight into the meaning and manifestations of this self-creative involvement, with particular emphasis on its importance in the process of adaptation to changing roles in old age and building wisdom.

The purpose of the article is to provide one of the possible religiological interpretations of the theme of human dominion over nature, which is found in the Biblical text about creation in Genesis 1:1–2:3. The main thesis of the article is that the Biblical commandment to rule can be understood in the context of the sacralization of the profane. For this purpose, the article mostly relies on the theory of the sacred developed by Mircea Eliade and partly on Jan Assmann's thoughts on the totality of monotheism. Based on this, the article observes that biblical dominion can be seen on three horizons, which are primarily existential and concern man's religious experience. These are the horizon of the sacred, the horizon of the mythical and the horizon of the totality. The latter is particularly characteristic of the monotheistic perception of dominion and manifests itself as an uncompromising consecration of time, space and beings. These processes are often carried out through the biblical language of conflict, which can also take on violent meanings. Therefore, the article initially presents complex and often controversial nature of the concept of dominion on the example of ecological criticism, which accuses Genesis of an anthropocentric abuse of nature. Nevertheless, violent and exploitative rule is not the core of monotheism. This is discussed in the rest of the article, which is dedicated to Eliade and Assmann's religiological thought and shows that the goal of a religious person is to bring himself and all of creation closer to their transcendental origin. The biblical engagement with dominion is therefore not anthropocentric, but theocentric, and does not have as its motive economic or political totalitarianism, but rather the total sanctification of the world according to the paradigmatic model of the creation myth.

The present study aims to investigate everyday life events captured in the first photographs of Iranian history. As such, by focusing on a collection of photo albums from Naseri and Mozaffari eras (two Qajar rulers) and by scrutinizing them, an attempt was made to elucidate the representation patterns and modes, through which, everyday life appeared in those photos. With an emphasis on semiology and taking into account the time-space, transcendental and immanent concepts, the paper tries to examine visible and invisible patterns of everyday life in those photographs. For that sake, the images were classified into six categories: Transcendental places, photography of nature, non-royal settings, iconography out of place and time, exotic eroticism, and everyday life. The study explores the relationship between each category and the presence of everyday life, focusing on archetype photos to provide in-depth analysis and discussion.

Wild places are rich with meaning. This runs contrary to accounts of vast undeveloped regions like the Arctic as being devoid of meaning (and thus open for—or even in need of—resource exploitation) and to accounts that dismiss conceptualizations of the Arctic as containing substantial wilderness landscapes as an invalid colonial concept. There is rather an unappreciated commonality between Indigenous conceptions of place and conceptualizations of wilderness: both recognize undeveloped landscapes as substantial founts of meaning that are not the product of their own projections. Their senses of these meanings are not equivalent but overlap in important respects and are shared by many cultures across the globe, thus challenging premises of relativism and of meaning as merely locally produced. Furthermore, meaning is a topic often overlooked or marginalized in the context of climate change adaptation and nature preservation. The Arctic is considered as a specific case study to illustrate these points as it is one of the world's largest undeveloped areas and is particularly affected by climate change. The Arctic is rich with meaning for the Inuit and other residents who depend on it for sustenance. It also contains some of the most extensive and least developed or otherwise impacted and manipulated landscapes on the planet—a relatively small portion of which is protected as parks and wilderness, though substantial in comparison to temperate or tropical regions. Climate change threatens not only the traditional subsistence livelihoods of Arctic residents, but also the emergent meanings that inhere in these landscapes. Simultaneously, the meaning and value of protected Arctic landscapes, particularly those designated as wilderness, is also under duress. Climate change is impacting the Arctic more than many other areas, posing a threat to its meanings as a home and as a wilderness. Acknowledging the centrality of meaning, while rejecting the "received idea" inherited from constructivist thought that meaning is overlaid on a passive landscape open for—or even in need of—human created meanings, can lead to new approaches to nature preservation and to human adaptation in the era of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues” and Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy share much in common. Timothy Golden and Robert Reid have both situated the story within Nietzsche’s conceptualizations of the Dionysian and Apollonian. However, this paper fills in, revises, and challenges interpretations by Golden and Reid, emphasizing that the story is an explicit dramatization of The Birth of Tragedy, with direct references to Nietzsche’s ideas regarding the Dionysian ground of experience and the Apollonian impulse to represent that experience. At the end of the story, however, the narrative slips free from the Nietzschean schematization and suggests a transcendent other at work, an otherness that shines on Sonny’s blues and effects a release for the narrator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is part of a study of the Buddhist text in modern Russian literature. It focuses on Elena A. Schwartz, who developed some Buddhist ideas, motives, and images in her poetry and prose. Her artistic world is a viable ecumenical utopia that exists due to the mysticism of personages and environment. This chronotope gets narrower and narrower in a territorial and cultural sense, thus forcing the personages to adapt. Buddhism in Christian, Judaic,or Islamic environment is an alternative to conventional Buddhism: it is essentially similar to the Abrahamic religions as a way to fathom the Transcendent. Buddhism in Russia in general and in St. Petersburg in particular is a mystery and a divine gift, tolerant to the doctrinal and soteriological difference of religions in the face of compassion. Schwartz’s Buddhism is stylistically Russified and Christianized, which does not prevent it from the Buddhification of reality. Buddhist ideas, motifs, and images coexist with Christian ones in an organic spiritual unity. The Buddhist plot of spiritual transformation goes parallel to that of Abrahamic religions as Schwartz’s characters ascend from their meeting with Buddha to obtaining Buddhist enlightenment.

After a cursory review of Wojtyła’s anthropology and his philosophy of freedom as self-transcendence aiming at the true good, this paper turned to his treatment of intersubjective relationships. We explained the core concept of participation, a property of the person whereby he maintains the personalistic value of his actions while also working together with others for the realization of a common end. Participation becomes reality in a community only when it has a proper subjective common good in addition to its objective common good. The former fosters the normative conditions that make participation possible. Anterior to the common good in its totality is the “common good” for all human beings constituted by the bona honesta. Building and sustaining strong communities requires the engagement and solidarity of its members, which sometimes expresses itself through opposition.

Despite its great popularity in both the scientific and non-scientific fields, Max Weber's concept of "disenchantment" remains mostly obscure and in recent years it has become the center of an interdisciplinary debate on modernity involving both Weberian specialists and non-specialists. The aim of the article is to return to Weber's text and analyze Weber's use of the term and the meaning of what he calls the "disenchantment of the world." To do so I follow Taylor's and Schluchter's insight and investigate how Weber would picture an initial condition of enchantment. However, while these interpreters did not explore the Weberian perspective on magic, I instead show that not only Weber had a precise and original conception of magic as the primitive attitude toward the world, but also that this conception may clarify the meaning and dynamics of the process of disenchantment in both the spheres of religion and of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the theme of the death of God in Giorgio Agamben's work from a political perspective, seeking to interpret the notion of "God" in Agamben through the concepts of "government" and "transcendence". Although Agamben does not extensively address the theme of the death of God, my hypothesis is that by continually dealing with the ethical and political legacy of Western theology, it is possible to conceive the death of God as an unconsummated political horizon, but that it is yet to come. In this sense, the first two sections of the text provide a review of the theme of governance of men and governance of oneself in Agamben's work, engaging in dialogue with Schmitt, Peterson, Heidegger, Foucault, and Plato, as well as the concepts of transcendence oikonomia, technology, and care. The last two sections of the text explore Agamben's response to this diagnosis. Agamben's philosophical proposal is presented through a dialogue with Spinoza and Stoicism, with the central concept being the idea of use of oneself, which is linked to the notions of immanence, Ungovernable, and anarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reconstructs Merleau-Ponty's philosophical project in terms of a phenomenology of sensible transcendence. According to this framework, (i) any given data are correlative to a subjective apprehension, (ii) but they cannot be fully captured by this same experience. Therefore, subjective apprehension must remain open to a type of absence or radical indeterminacy. This notion of transcendence must be grounded in bodily experience, and the challenge is to develop a notion of logos that can account for its sensible donation. We describe that the critical apparatus mobilized to achieve this goal, primarily through the notions of "field of presence" and "presentation", restores a logic of consciousness in these analyses that focus on the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of cultural community has been firstly or more obviously embodied in the works of the minority/minoritized literature or writers from marginalized countries and approached from different perspectives, such as small and enduring spiritual bonds, aspiration and an ideal, or self-deconstruction due to heterogeneity, conflict, and difference. However, most researchers explore the cultural community in the works of merely one racial group, such as American Indian, Chinese, Korean, or African. There has been comparatively little research on the construction of a cultural community across races. Focusing on Molefi Kete Asante's Afrocentricity and Tu Wei-ming's embodied Confucianism, two cultural movements that fully embody a "new cosmopolitanism" and have the potential to dialog and complement each other, this study compares the views of transcendence of these two philosophies in terms of sense, the ultimate goal, orientation of time, vehicle for realization, and thinking pattern in the hope of the construction of a Sino-African cultural community, which reflects mutual understanding, coexistence, harmony without uniformity, and the contact, conflict, and intermingling of heterogeneous cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divine love stands as a pivotal aspect of the intricate relationship between humans and God. Despite its multifaceted presence in theological and mystical traditions, achieving consensus on its nature remains challenging. The inherently personal essence of divine love introduces a level of ambiguity when considering it in the context of an impersonal God, as exemplified by Avicenna's Necessary Existent Deity. Avicenna portrays God as a metaphysical entity characterized by pure transcendence, devoid of personal emotions and passions. In contrast, he positions love as the pinnacle of the human-God connection. This article seeks to elucidate the significance and realization of this love through a semantical lens. While Avicenna provides a comprehensive definition of love as a "propensity for goodness," constructing a cohesive semantic system, the culmination suggests that human love for The Pure Good ultimately sheds any personal attributes. Instead, it transforms into a form of inner metamorphosis, encompassing rational-practical perfection. Hence, articulating divine love in a literal sense seems implausible for The Necessary Existent. Avicenna, in his elimination of dialectics, metaphorically applies divine love to convey a metaphysical rationality and an inner transformative process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main question of this paper is whether, and if yes - how, is it possible to speak about the history of being in the Midde Ages? Heidegger's writings suggest that indeed it is possible, and said history can be outlined with the help of the concept of production. However, one cannot escape the rightful feeling that there is more to this epoch of being than it is suggested. There is a doubt whether Heidegger himself went far enough in deconstructing the Medieval epoch of being. Thus, the second part of the paper presents an endeavor of describing the problem of being in the Middle Ages, using Jan A. Aertsen's distinctions and insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Schmidt's Subspace Theorem, this paper improves and extends an existing transcendence result for sequences of algebraic numbers. The theorems thus produced correspond to a central theorem on the irrationality of sequences due to Erdős. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes, from a phenomenological standpoint, death as correlation in Kierkegaard’s thought. First, it distinguishes the aspects (its decisive, undeterminable, and unexplainable character) that describe how death comes upon the subject of those other correlates (appropriation, actualization, edification) that refer to the serious mode in which the subject faces this supervenience. Finally, the article establishes a dialogue between the discourse of Next to a Grave with the understanding of the knight of faith in Fear and Trembling in order to reconstruct the existential meaning of death as a challenge that urges us to a decision regarding the transcendence of existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give some new results on transcendence on algebraic groups. These results extend some previous ones established on commutative or linear algebraic groups to arbitrary algebraic groups in complex and p-adic fields, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nauki o Wychowaniu. Studia Interdyscyplinarne is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspectives on Culture / Perspektywy Kultury is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Paedagogica Ignatiana is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is a "thought experiment" that takes recourse to Lucien Freud's youthful portrait of himself as Acteon-the hunter whom the goddess Diana turned into a stag, as famously narrated by Ovid. In his drawing, Freud's crisis of presence is mobilized by a play on gender differentiation. More broadly, the piece is an exploration of what it involves being present as a person and of how personal transcendence opens up a propositional ontology that differs from the intentionality of life. The possibility of loss of personal transcendence is an ever-present preoccupation of humans wherever they are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies ritual theory to study public LGBTQ+ gatherings, including Pride parades, silent vigils, and commemorative litanies. The analysis of public LGBTQ+ rituals has often focussed on Pride parades and their carnivalistic exuberance. We call instead for more attention to the whole nexus of public rituals that this movement consists of, and we argue that these rituals are central to LGBTQ+ community building and meaning-making in this social movement. Using participant and non-participant observation, as well as publicly available data, the paper studies assembly forms, ritual scripts, symbolic interactions, sites, and objects that link the various public rituals within the LGBTQ+ movement. We find that, over the last five decades, these ritual elements have coalesced to provide members of the LGBTQ+ community access to the sphere of transcendence. Our findings suggest that this community might be slowly changing its character from social (protest) movement to becoming a viable civil religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Con-textos Kantianos: International Journal of Philosophy is the property of Con-Textos Kantianos (CTK) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The novel "How to Do It" narrates the story of female college student Xu Jingjing's repeated setbacks and heartache in order to realize her career dream of taking root in the provincial capital, with the theme of the difficulty of college students' employment. The novel describes the pressure of power and capital on the bottom, and constructs a thick barrier in front of ordinary students from the bottom. How to break through becomes a test and challenge, but also a pain point. Adhering to faith and not violating moral principles means enduring more difficult tests, having more outstanding talents, being able to withstand more complex temptations, and living a dignified and valuable life. The novel repeatedly asks the question of "How to Do It" at the intersection of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and kindness and cruelty'. On the one side, there are thorns everywhere, It is difficult to move forward, and may even draw blood, but it achieves a stronger self while surmounting difficulties; on the other side, it is a smooth road, but it may be increasingly far away from the true self. The protagonist chooses to fight, grow, inspire and surpass, which is highly enlightening. With a heart towards the sunshine, you can dilute the mist and realize the noble value of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with Slavoj Žižek's notion of the 'vanishing mediator,' by taking a closer look at his study of the Hegelian 'night of the world.' It specifically probes into the notion of the divine madness that becomes the 'Ground' for the sane, subjective God of The Bible to Word the universe into being. Following this, it proceeds to bring the aforementioned into discourse with Bloodborne, which, in one of its endings, presents the curious case of the next stage of human evolution, i.e., a transcendence into Godhood, which occurs during a similar night. The paper, in essence, presents a dramatic stage for this madness to play out in its reading of Bloodborne, while tracing its vestiges using a postsecular-psychoanalytical lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is a theological virtue, and a great human need as well. In the Christian sense, it is an expectation of the ultimate fulfillment of human desires in God. In turn, the promises brought to man by technological development, which leads to the stage of transhumanism, where man in his human condition will be modified and even replaced by a machine, are a certain form of fulfillment of human hopes. In consequence, due to interference with its nature, the human body will become stronger, healthier, less susceptible to the effects of time, and resistant to injuries. Moreover, an expanded set of senses will enable man to receive more fully the wealth of impressions from the environment in which he lives. However, the promise of transhumanism does not fall within Christian hope, nor does it constitute the implementation of its goals. Instead, it stems from the boundless belief in the progress of man who is completely enclosed in a horizontal perspective. Christianity, in contrast, perceives the fulfillment of human hopes through a personal relationship with the risen Christ.

Transdisciplinarity is creative human agency including cognitive, intellectual and behavioural activities of individuals and groups. These activities define and are mutually defined by beliefs and ideas, knowledge and know-how, language and meanings, norms and rules, and opinions and values. The cultivation of transdisciplinary projects should embrace these cultural, social and psychological predispositions because they are core constituents of a trans-anthropo-logic. This requires transcending common research methods used in scientific studies and using scaffolding that facilitates agency, and positioning individuals and groups. However, scientists are rarely trained to pilot projects involving multiple stakeholders with different positions. This article explains why trained facilitators are needed to pilot transdisciplinary projects. They can cultivate transcendence and transgression – both analysed by the late Julie Thompson Klein – beyond the scope and purpose of common research methods. In essence, transdisciplinary practices respect different ontologies and epistemologies while incorporating ethical principles and moral values. The cultivation of transdisciplinary projects should accommodate and reduce asymmetries of power between politicians, public administrators, property owners, researchers and laypeople that are shaped by extant historical and societal variables in specific situations. Transdisciplinary projects should also apply multiple sources of quantitative data and qualitative information that represent the complexity, diversity and perhaps incommensurability of intentions, meanings, perceptions and values about specific subjects or situations. This is being achieved by innovative projects that should become beacons for change.