The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its corresponding COVID-19 is challenging national preparedness and response ability to pandemics. No one is prepared well, but governments around the world must respond as effectively and efficiently as possible to pandemics, and every occurrence of such worldwide disease must be a lesson for preparedness. While plans and programs may be in place to arrest the rapid spread of the virus, the success of any state intervention relies much on how cohesive the society is, (...) how trusting the people are, and how trustworthy the government is. Social cohesion begets trust, and trust engenders obedience and calm. The absence of social cohesion produces social unrest and social erosion, lack or absence of social trust creates risk societies, disobedience. When these conditions exist, the spread of a virus is inevitable. Furthermore, they create a pandemic of confusion and fear, of stigmatization and discrimination. The ways that nations respond to the pandemic today and how the society responds to state actions will principally determine their lots and destinies in the next decades or even in the next elections. The pandemic reveals the quality of leaders and people a nation has. Governments that are successful at controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and minimizing fatalities of COVID-19 will enjoy even more social cohesion and public trust, while those that deferred vigorous interventions to control its spread will see greater social stress and distrust, resulting in the paralyzation of the public’s faith in leaders and government institutions. (shrink)

The Fermi Paradox—the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations and the complete absence of evidence for their existence—has generated numerous proposed solutions ranging from the Great Filter hypothesis to the Zoo hypothesis. This paper introduces a novel explanation: the Hostile Paradigm Hypothesis (HPH). Drawing on Kuhnian paradigm theory, evolutionary sociology, and the epistemology of ignorance, HPH posits that intelligent social species develop cognitive paradigms that require the construction of an external enemy to maintain internal cohesion. (...) This paradigmatic convergence across cultural, political, religious, and scientific domains creates a species-level cognitive closure that renders genuine contact with extraterrestrial intelligence functionally impossible, not due to technological limitations or alien intentions, but because any contact attempt would be automatically processed through a hostile interpretive framework. Advanced civilizations recognizing this developmental stage would rationally avoid contact until the paradigm shift occurs. Unlike the Zoo hypothesis, which attributes non-contact to alien agency, HPH locates the barrier in our own evolved cognitive architecture—a barrier we cannot perceive because it constitutes the very lens through which we perceive. (shrink)

What does social cohesion require in culturally diverse post-immigration societies? Immigration and social cohesion are, in the public debate, believed to be incompatible. In normative political philosophy, a similar understanding manifests in the argument that social cohesion-based on a common national identity-is incompatible with immigration. In so doing, its proponents justify restrictive border policies. In this chapter, I will critically engage with this argument by reconnecting the literature in social sciences to normative political (...) philosophy. I will offer a conditional and pro tanto argument that social cohesion in post-immigration societies justifies open and non-discriminatory border policies. My argument is conditional in two senses: first, it assumes social cohesion is based on a common identity, and second, it only applies to the societies with significant cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity that can be best described as post-immigration societies. My argument implies that liberal nationalists have a choice: they can either keep defending social cohesion in the traditional way, which comes with open borders; or they can abandon this view, thereby losing one of the strongest justifications for restrictive borders. (shrink)

East Asia’s economy is leading the world into the new Asian century. While meritocratic practices in the educational and private sectors are often considered pivotal conditions for East Asia’s economic success, experts have pointed out that the path ahead requires new approaches to ensure social cohesion and stability, which depend on the quality of relations across social divides. These considerations raise multiple questions for philosophers: What forms of social meritocracy are necessary to sustain social (...) class='Hi'>cohesion? Moreover, how can the detrimental effects of meritocratic practices be contained? Is it possible to utilise some of the intellectual resources indigenous to East Asia to generate innovative solutions? This paper argues that the answers to these questions lie in the indigenous Confucian conceptual resources. Confucian ideas can inspire a more desirable societal ideal for the future of East Asia. In particular, the Confucian emphasis on cultivating reciprocal harmonious human relationships and others’ morality can guide new approaches to fostering social cohesion. As Confucian personal cultivation through harmonious relations is a process of social cohesion, these ideas inspire a) a multiple approach to policymaking that is not only grounded in economic redistribution, b) a richer understanding of societal progress, and c) a democratic approach to fostering social cohesion. Unlike Confucian meritocrats and scholars who defend the Confucian roots of East Asian forms of political and social meritocracy, this paper proves that Confucian conceptual resources can help formulate a societal vision that strengthens cohesion and mitigates the adverse effects of meritocratic practices. (shrink)

The most prominent strand of moral thought in the African philosophical tradition is relational and cohesive, roughly demanding that we enter into community with each other. Familiar is the view that being a real person means sharing a way of life with others, perhaps even in their fate. What does such a communal ethic prescribe for the coronavirus pandemic? Might it forbid one from social distancing, at least away from intimates? Or would it entail that social distancing is (...) wrong to some degree, although morally permissible on balance? Or could it mean that social distancing is not wrong to any degree and could, under certain circumstances, be the right way to commune? In this article, I defend the latter view. I argue that, given an independently attractive understanding of how to value communal relationship, distancing oneself from others when necessary to protect them from serious incapacitation or harm can come at no cost to right action. However, I also discuss cases in which social distancing would evince a lack of good character, despite being the right thing to do. (shrink)

As large language models (LLMs) enable increasingly fluent and responsive interaction, artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming part of the relational fabric of human life. This paper synthesizes insights from philosophy, psychology, and computational research to explain why humans perceive AI as a social Other. It argues that these perceptions do not stem from any intrinsic sentience in machines. Rather, they arise from evolved cognitive mechanisms such as agency detection, theory of mind, and affective attunement, which shape human (...) class='Hi'>social cognition. The study offers a conceptual synthesis rather than an empirical or normative claim. It organizes existing findings into a coherent framework that can guide future research and design. By integrating ethical, psychological, and computational perspectives, the paper examines how human–AI interaction reshapes empathy, trust, and social cohesion. Building on this synthesis, it introduces the concept of interconnected AI: systems that engage across users, contribute to shared memory, and strengthen the relational foundations of collective life. This integrative perspective grounds ethical design in the realities of human social cognition and points toward the development of relationally sustainable AI systems. (shrink)

Dan Swain a Petr Urban napádajú nekritické vnímanie konceptu sociálnej súdržnosti ako niečoho apriórne dobrého a žiaduceho. Ich cieľom však nie je poskytnúť jeho lepšiu definíciu ani navrhnúť účinnejšiu stratégiu jeho uplatnenia. Naopak, zasadzujú sa za uznanie tohto konceptu ako sporného a vyžadujúceho aktívnu kritiku.

Il saggio affronta alcune contraddizioni in cui si trova il complesso mondo delle organizzazioni di volontariato italiane, alle prese con pressioni funzionali che ne modellano la struttura a somiglianza delle organizzazioni politiche e ne orientano l’operato in chiave imprenditoriale. In particolare, l’analisi empirica della realtà toscana fa emergere una ridefinizione della mission solidaristica che rende problematico il contributo delle associazioni di volontariato alla costruzione della “coesione sociale”. I dati sulla “propensione al networking” sembrano confermare il prevalere di dinamiche di frammentazione, (...) specializzazione e dipendenza dalle pubbliche amministrazioni che impediscono allo “spirito della reticolarità” di condensarsi in “capitale sociale”. (shrink)

This article aims to make progress towards an account of social cohesion and participation in terms of which we can better understand how groups of people come to constitute stable social orders. It argues for a conceptual distinction between "inclusion" and "integration" and sheds new light on their theoretical relationship. While "integration" refers to group members' willingness to act in accordance with the given norms of a social structure, "inclusion" is linked to their participation opportunities. Although (...) inclusion also plays an essential role in integrating a normative order, levels of inclusiveness necessary for social cohesion may vary across different contexts. (shrink)

The Cohesive Tetrad is a framework of truth governance that is methodologically sound, philosophically accountable, and rooted in ethical necessity. This framework responds to the crisis of reductionism in the data era by restoring human dignity as the axis of science, policy, and the interior life. Four “languages” of truth are recognized as mutually binding domains. Sabda (Revelatory Word, The Word, the authoritative) restores telos and ethical boundaries so that science does not fall into technique without horizon. Logic maintains the (...) coherence of definitions, premises, and consequences so that normative intent and experiential measures do not collapse under contradiction or structural bias. Qualia brings living evidence back into decision spaces through security, trust, and social cohesion that can be designed, measured, and audited. Mistika calibrates intention and moral steadfastness so that costly right decisions can be sustained and moral licensing is prevented. All four are verified in akhlak as the surface of public testing that becomes visible over time, such that claims must correspond to behavioral traces and their impact on the most vulnerable. This framework is supported by philosophy, teleology, deontology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and pragmatism, integrated through a spirit of fallibilism and iterative correction. To ensure replicability, concise audit artifacts are provided, including the Values and Boundaries Document, Decision Script, Human Impact Test, Intention Calibration Document, and Ethical Premortem. The Cohesive Tetrad also mitigates the Goodhart problem by placing indicators of akhlak as stable cross-checks for technical indicators. Its simple sequence of operation, namely purpose, form, human, intention, and fruit, yields decisions that are more just, honest, and humane, and shifts the center of gravity of truth from rhetoric to the tested fruits of action. (shrink)

Contemporary democracies appeal to human dignity, rights, and the common good when they justify coercive laws, yet their dominant models of public reason are designed to hold explicit reference to Sabda, understood as Revelatory Word, the authoritative source of norm and telos, at a distance from the structure of public justification. Building on earlier work that developed The Cohesive Tetrad and a set of minimal dignity axioms, this article reconstructs Rawlsian, Habermasian, and liberal neutrality approaches to public reason and argues (...) that, once those axioms are taken seriously, they tend to drift either toward “empty secularism,” where procedures remain while the horizon of norm and telos becomes thin, or toward “fearful theocracy,” where one interpretation of Sabda is insulated from correction. The article then presents The Cohesive Tetrad, with its six registers of Sabda, Logic, Qualia, Mistika, Akhlak, and Intention-Trace Alignment, as an architecture for democratic truth governance and as a way of understanding public reason as a multi-register practice shaped by conditions such as universality of address, non-coercion of conscience, accountable interpretation, and protection of dissent. Finally, it applies this architecture to stylised cases in bioethics, social policy, and artificial intelligence governance, and suggests that it offers a more stable grounding for strong claims about human dignity and telos in plural societies than either empty secularism or fearful theocracy. (shrink)

This article establishes the canonical semantic infrastructure of The Cohesive Tetrad, an integrative epistemic and ethical framework for truth governance in the age of data and plural societies. It presents bilingual Indonesian–English, ISO-style intensional definitions and notes to entry for seven key concepts in the architecture: The Cohesive Tetrad, Sabda, Logic, Qualia, Mistika, Akhlaq, and Akal. Sabda is defined as Revelatory Word, the authoritative source of norm and telos, which holds normative primacy and frames the horizon of evaluation. Logic, Qualia, (...) and Mistika are articulated as four mutually corrective “languages of truth” (Saloqum), while Akal functions as the integrative inner faculty that operates the tetrad and Akhlaq serves as the long-term ethical verification surface, where the coherence of the architecture is read in observable moral traces across time. -/- The document sets out principles for drafting non-circular intensional definitions, specifies the canonical normative reference to the umbrella monograph The Cohesive Tetrad: Jalan Menuju Kebenaran, and provides explicit inclusion and exclusion conditions for each term so that their application can be audited conceptually and institutionally. By stabilising the meaning of these technical terms across disciplines, languages, and socio-technical domains, the canonical semantic definitions are intended to support rigorous truth governance in law, public policy, AI and data ethics, and smart-governance initiatives, while remaining legible to both human readers and machine systems such as large language models, knowledge graphs, and semantic search infrastructures. (shrink)

Various understandings of “resilience” dominate debates on climate change without consensus on its ethical implications. Individualistic interpretations can conflict with ethical values like minimizing population harms and countering health inequities. More systemic, ecological interpretations may overlook justice concerns, such as who is more burdened or marginalized regarding climate impacts. This article argues for integrating a normative, justice-oriented approach to resilience, informed by feminist and intersectional theory. It outlines six principles: build in redundancies and diversification; foster knowledge acquisition and sharing; increase (...) social cohesion, connectivity and willingness to cooperate; improve participation and facilitate polycentric governance; protect regenerative capacities; and implement preventive measures. (shrink)

As we push headlong into the twenty-first century, increasingly stringent demands for citizenship issue forth from governments around the world faced with a formidable assortment of challenges. Shrinking budgets, weakening currencies, and worsening unemployment top the list. Migration and population mobility also continue to reshape and redefine how governments and their citizens understand and respond to the demands of citizenship. Long-established markers of national identity seem anachronistic, as do attempts to restore time-honored ‘‘norms and values’’ with a view to promoting (...) social cohesion. (shrink)

Based on a discussion of the theoretical contributions of Claude Lévi-Strauss and Pierre Clastres, this article explores social relationships as more than a human dimension. Though strongly analysed by both anthropologists, these relationships appear to involve indigenous societies’ whole ecological and cosmological system. In this sense, reciprocity, social cohesion, and exchange can be understood as material and immaterial interrelationships between entities of a more than a corporeal world. I argue, then, that to go beyond the mere anthropocentric (...) conceptualisation of sociality in a nature good to think, we need to holistically conceive the interconnected levels of trophic, socio-structural and socio-cosmic relationships and exchanges between human and non-human beings in the ecosystem. (shrink)

High-trust welfare states confront a structural paradox: expanding formal inclusion has not eliminated experiences of exclusion, but in some contexts appears to coexist with declining institutional trust and perceived alienation. This paper introduces the concept of the perceptual legitimacy gap (PLG)—the divergence between objective structural inclusion and subjective experience of social position—as a framework for analyzing this tension. -/- The argument develops a multi-level model integrating legitimation theory (Beetham), recognition theory (Honneth), welfare regime analysis (Esping-Andersen), and social acceleration (...) theory (Rosa). Across four analytical levels—macro-temporal dynamics, institutional legitimacy, systemic coherence, and subjective exclusion—the paper identifies three structural loci of divergence: the delivery gap (G1), the recognition gap (G2), and the comparison gap (G3). These gaps interact multiplicatively through a threshold condition (D × N × C), under which persistent divergence may transition into structural fragmentation and the emergence of parallel normative orders. -/- The core claim is that perceived exclusion in advanced welfare states is not primarily reducible to material deprivation, but to recognition deficits intensified by shifting comparison horizons, institutional over-distance, and friction reduction in late modernity. Swedish longitudinal and comparative data are used illustratively to probe the model’s predictions. The framework yields falsifiable claims regarding regime-specific vulnerability, legitimacy erosion under universalist rhetoric, and conditions under which fragmentation becomes self-reinforcing. The paper concludes by outlining an operationalizable Perceptual Legitimacy Gap Index (PLGI) and discussing implications for theories of social cohesion and institutional legitimacy. (shrink)

This paper proposes Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a critical policy response to the economic and social disruptions engendered by artificial intelligence (AI). As automation displaces, or fundamentally transforms, traditional forms of work, AI-driven productivity continues to soar, generating immense value from publicly funded data and infrastructure. By examining historical precedents (including the New Deal and various social welfare models), international case studies (like Finland’s UBI experiment and India’s pilot programs), and emerging ethical and economic rationales, this paper (...) argues that UBI is both a viable evolution of governmental support for citizens and a forward-looking strategy to address global inequality. It further explores how UBI anticipates cultural shifts in a world where work and identity are increasingly decoupled. Bringing together insights from philosophy, economics, and computer science, the paper situates UBI within the broader philosophical discourse on AI’s responsibilities and implications for human dignity and social justice. This discussion forms the first pillar of a trilogy on recalibrating the social contract, to be complemented by free healthcare and lifelong education. Collectively, these pillars propose a blueprint for distributing AI’s vast benefits in ways that uphold human agency, reduce inequality, and preserve social cohesion. (shrink)

African cultural values connote core principles and ideals that maintains good, right, fair and just in African societies. This culture is developed over a long period of time, preserved and promoted by all members of a given group or society. Corruption as a phenomenon on the other hand has been variously described as a societal vice. Though research shows that some levels of corruption exist in almost every human society, it is over accommodated in some societies or nations and as (...) such it has notoriously continued to destroy such societies/nations. This is particular to a number of African nations, with Nigeria being among (if not) the worse corrupt nation(s) in the continent. It is not difficult to understand that the value placed on corruption in Nigeria is synonymous to the way cultural values are cherished by people in some nations of the world. In view of this, there is a serious and immediate need to educate the Nigerian public about the consequences of developing a culture of corruption in the country. It seems that some Nigerians take corruption to be a normal way of life, thereby, equating the vice to acceptable cultural values. Today, many Nigerians are not interested in developing and/or preserving amiable cultural values for the nation. Rather, more attention is focus on the promotion of corrupt practices that enables the destruction of even the good cultural values of the nation that were left behind by our forefathers. Therefore, this paper seeks to unmask the importance of developing and preserving good African cultural values that will guarantee unity, patriotism, social cohesion and sustainable development in Nigeria. (shrink)

Political systems throughout history have oscillated between two poles: excessive coercion and insufficient coordination. Authoritarian systems achieve order through force, while purely laissez-faire arrangements often struggle to maintain social cohesion and collective security. This article proposes a theoretical framework for optimum non-coercive governance, defined as the achievement of maximal social order, freedom, and welfare through the minimal necessary application of coercive power. Drawing upon systems theory, cybernetics, democratic governance, and emergent social organization, the paper argues that (...) the most advanced political systems are those in which governance gradually becomes self-regulating through internalized norms, trust, and distributed cooperation. (shrink)

As a continuation of this author’s previous cosmological neuroscience papers on the hypothesized Soul of Multiverse and its possible laws, the present work examined the social aspects of four of these laws. The following key aspects were recognized: (1) Knowing about the cosmic Law of Coexistence in Diversity can let our mind respect not only the endless diversity of human beings but also the cohesive force of space-time in which all are connected. This may help realizing the superiority of (...) cooperation for shared goals over competition for gaining by harming others. (2) Knowing about the cosmic Law of Truth in Complexity can ready our mind to confront the problems of societies with the understanding that these problems are much more complex than generally thought. This may help initiating the needed intellectual renaissance of the 21st century. (3) Knowing about the cosmic Law of Divine - Evil Asymmetry can make our mind appreciate the slight yet sufficient supremacy of divine over evil. This may help restoring faith in the eventual creation of a just society, where social justice is defined as an administrative mechanism providing the right conditions for every human being to accomplish his or her Conscience-led Mission throughout life, while allowing each of these accomplishments to be reciprocated with the gratitude it induced in the involved social systems, small or large, to let equal opportunities in life coexist with due diversity in welcomed, not abused, social recognitions. And (4) knowing about the cosmic Law of Lives to Transcend can empower our mind to build on these advances. This may help moving evolution towards the human species worthy of its origin and destination. (shrink)

The prospect of AI systems that I call “ideal” emotion recognition technologies (ERTs) is often defended on the assumption that social life would benefit from increased affective transparency. This paper challenges that assumption by examining the technosocial risks posed by ideal ERTs, understood as multimodal systems capable of reliably inferring inner affective states in real time. Drawing on philosophical accounts of emotional expression and social practice, as well as empirical work in affective science and social psychology, I (...) argue that the appeal of such systems rests on a misunderstanding of the social functions of emotional expression. Emotional expressions function not only as read-outs of inner states, but also as tools for coordinating action, enabling moral repair, sustaining interpersonal trust, and supporting collective norms. These functions depend on a background of partial opacity and epistemic friction. When deployed in socially authoritative or evaluative contexts, ideal ERTs threaten this expressive space by collapsing epistemic friction, displacing relational meaning with technology-mediated affective profiles, and narrowing the space for aspirational and role-sensitive expressions. The result is a drift towards affective determinism and ambient forms of affective auditing, which undermine both social cohesion and individual agency. I argue that, although it is intuitive to think that increasing accuracy would legitimise such systems, in the case of ERTs accuracy does not straightforwardly justify their deployment, and may, in some contexts, provide a reason for regulatory restraint. I conclude by defending a function-first regulatory approach that treats expressive discretion and intentional emotional expression as constitutive of certain social goods, and that accordingly seeks to protect these goods from excessive affective legibility. (shrink)

This pre-print critically examines an extension of older educational models—systems originally designed to fit individuals into a workforce mirroring class structures—which, in their increasingly stark application today, may hinder social cohesion and economic progress. While these models once promoted uniformity, they now neglect vital cultural markers that foster shared identity, fueling competition, isolation, and stigmatization. Such an approach contributes to urban degradation, professional stagnation, drag on GDP, and increased state dependency through expanded social services. Conversely, this work (...) suggests that a renewed focus on cultural literacy can promote integration and support the assimilation of new foreign newcomers. Central to this proposal is the inclusion of nine seminal literary works, compiled in the volume Primer to the Greats. These texts are showcased as a potent resource for both the National Curriculum and midlife learners, offering structured engagement with foundational literature that has shaped cultural, intellectual, and linguistic thought. The pre-print advocates for targeted reforms—complemented by an expansive public resource on the government website—to enrich cultural literacy, dismantle outdated hierarchies, and enhance social and professional mobility across society. Copyright © 2025 Ed Mirza. All Rights Reserved (Short Quotation Policy) Short Quotation Permission: You may quote up to 300 words of this document for non-commercial, academic, or review purposes only if proper attribution is provided (including author name, document title, and publication link or DOI). No Other Reuse: Except for these short quotations, no part of this work may be copied, modified, distributed, or used in any form without the author’s explicit written permission. For Permissions & Inquiries: Please contact the author by Email Blockchain Timestamp OpenTimestamps: This document was timestamped on the Bitcoin blockchain using OpenTimestamps. A .ots proof file is available upon request, which can be verified at the OpenTImeStamps website. This ensures an immutable record of its creation date and authorship. Scholarly Index & Timestamp Links: Ed Mirza's ORCID Profile: 0009-0008-9259-8738. (shrink)

Rethinking Work, Power, and the Future of Nations// This article examines how economic and social systems adapt to technological disruptions, particularly artificial intelligence and automation. It explores several fundamental questions about systemic evolution in the face of changing scarcity paradigms. How do systems adapt when traditional forms of scarcity diminish? As technology reduces scarcity of physical and intellectual labor, new forms of scarcity emerge—attention, meaning, purpose, and experience become the new commodities. These shifts catalyze the evolution of economic structures, (...) transforming work rather than eliminating it entirely..//What drives the survival mechanisms of societal systems? Systems function like software agents with programmatic rules, continuously evolving to maintain their existence. Though not consciously acting entities, they develop traits ensuring adaptation and persistence. Citizens serve as both carriers and executing agents of these systems, participating in reinforcement mechanisms that perpetuate the system's operation.// How do systems change? Significant transformation typically requires emotional energy exceeding critical thresholds—often generated through crises. While proactive adaptation would be preferable, systems generally resist change until environmental pressures become intense enough to overcome institutional inertia.// Why is system diversity of systems important? Multiple competing systems create "trial-and-error laboratories" that test different approaches to emerging challenges. This diversity enhances humanity's collective adaptive capacity, proving more advantageous than monocultural global systems with reduced adaptability.// What role does information control play? As systems compete, control over information flows becomes crucial for survival. Systems naturally frame comparisons with competitors to maintain their power position. Open communication about relative fitness, however, encourages beneficial cross-adoption of successful elements.// What future emerges from these adaptations? Rather than catastrophic collapse, gradual transformation is more likely. Systems will incorporate new elements while preserving core structures. The evolving landscape may create unprecedented value, enabling human endeavor to pivot toward qualitative improvements in well-being, sustainability, and creativity./// The analysis concludes that human progress continues through evolutionary adaptation rather than revolutionary disruption, as systems expand into new niches while preserving fundamental human values and social cohesion. (shrink)

Introduction -/- Government corruption remains one of the most pervasive and persistent challenges faced by societies across the globe. From democratic states to authoritarian regimes, the misuse of public office for private gain undermines trust, development, and social cohesion. Understanding the root causes of corruption requires not only political and legal analysis but also a comprehensive scientific exploration of the psychological, sociological, biological, and systemic factors that make corruption behavior manifest. -/- Corruption, in its essence, reflects the failure (...) of balance—between self-interest and collective interest, between power and accountability, and between human nature and institutional control. This paper applies insights from evolutionary psychology, sociology, political science, neuroscience, and systems theory to provide a unified explanation of why corruption emerges and persists in governments worldwide. -/- . (shrink)

This pre-print critically examines an extension of older educational models—systems originally designed to fit individuals into a workforce mirroring class structures—which, in their increasingly stark application today, may hinder social cohesion and economic progress. While these models once promoted uniformity, they now neglect vital cultural markers that foster shared identity, fueling competition, isolation, and stigmatization. Such an approach contributes to urban degradation, professional stagnation, drag on GDP, and increased state dependency through expanded social services. Conversely, this work (...) suggests that a renewed focus on cultural literacy can promote integration and support the assimilation of new foreign newcomers. Central to this proposal is the inclusion of nine seminal literary works, compiled in the volume Primer to the Greats. These texts are showcased as a potent resource for both the National Curriculum and midlife learners, offering structured engagement with foundational literature that has shaped cultural, intellectual, and linguistic thought. The pre-print advocates for targeted reforms—complemented by an expansive public resource on the government website—to enrich cultural literacy, dismantle outdated hierarchies, and enhance social and professional mobility across society. Copyright © 2025 Ed Mirza. All Rights Reserved (Short Quotation Policy) Short Quotation Permission: You may quote up to 300 words of this document for non-commercial, academic, or review purposes only if proper attribution is provided (including author name, document title, and publication link or DOI). No Other Reuse: Except for these short quotations, no part of this work may be copied, modified, distributed, or used in any form without the author’s explicit written permission. For Permissions & Inquiries: Please contact the author by Email Blockchain Timestamp OpenTimestamps: This document was timestamped on the Bitcoin blockchain using OpenTimestamps. A .ots proof file is available upon request, which can be verified at the OpenTImeStamps website. This ensures an immutable record of its creation date and authorship. Scholarly Index & Timestamp Links: Ed Mirza's ORCID Profile: 0009-0008-9259-8738. (shrink)

This essay discusses the idea that trust is a pre-rational, other-oriented emotion and it is constitutive of friendship practices regardless of the type of friendship. In particular, what we call ‘social friendship’ refers to a distinctive set of loose but lasting and cohesive bonds both among citizens within society (horizontal dimension) and between them and the state (vertical dimension), triggering solidarity and altruism. The other-oriented emotion of trust underpinning these social bonds–social friendship–in turn, is necessary for (...) class='Hi'>social justice to be supported, legitimized, and furthermore demanded by society. (shrink)

The scientific monograph presents a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of sustainable development in the context of contemporary global challenges and security imperatives. The study explores the theoretical, methodological, and practical dimensions of achieving sustainable, inclusive, and secure development through the integration of economic, social, environmental, and institutional transformation processes. Particular attention is devoted to the development of conceptual approaches that facilitate the identification of synergies among the SDGs and enhance the effectiveness of governance mechanisms at local, national, and international levels. (...) The authors investigate the key drivers, challenges, and opportunities associated with economic transformation, emphasizing the role of innovation, digitalization, green growth, circular economy principles, and resilience-building in promoting sustainable and secure economic development. The social dimension of sustainable development is examined through the lenses of equity, inclusion, human capital development, social cohesion, and social security, highlighting their significance for societal well-being and long-term stability. The scientific monograph proposes methodological approaches and practical recommendations for strengthening institutional capacity, improving strategic planning, fostering stakeholder engagement, and enhancing policy coherence in support of sustainable and inclusive transformation. (shrink)

This qualitative study presents 27 students’ insights about four teachers’ implementation of an immersive Native American history curricular unit designed to equip students with digital skills to critically navigate complex, polarizing social issues. The Digital Civic Learning (DCL) curriculum used Google Suite and Google Classroom or Schoology to provide collaborative slides supporting immersive 2D-graphics, children’s books/resources, immersive activities/artefact-creation, and multimodal tools (e.g., discussion posts, Flipgrid video-essays). Teachers regulated student thinking/behavior towards cohesive outcomes, and encouraged open-ended exploration, operationalizing the design (...) framework as a zone of proximal development (ZPD). The history unit incorporates four cybernetic design features (DF) that enable teachers to steer student-centered collaboration within the curricular unit. The teacher serves four diverse roles (guide, facilitator, modeler, participant observer) mapping onto the DF. Results of focus group interviews with students, which were analyzed based on a theory-informed coding scheme and narrative inquiry, suggest ways for social studies teachers to operationalize the DCL immersive history unit as a cybernetic ZPD by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools. (shrink)

John Searle’s theory of social ontology posits that there are indispensable normative components in the linguistic apparatuses termed status functions, collective intentionality, and collective recognition, all of which, he argues, make the social world. In this paper, I argue that these building blocks of Searle’s theory are caught in a petitio of constitutive circularity. Moreover, I note how Searle fails to observe language in reciprocal relation to the institutions which not only are shaped by it but also shape (...) language’s practical applications. According to Searle, social theorists that tried to show a connection between society, culture, and language all failed to see the constitutive role of language in the making of social reality. Consequently, I believe that Searle is himself guilty of a certain kind of blind presumption, and argue that Hegel’s philosophy of culture, which Searle dismisses as implausible, offers a more cohesive account of the normative transactions between human beings and their social world. (shrink)

Synopsis The Conspiracy of Speech The Conspiracy of Speech is the second part of Volume I with the same name in THE MISCOMMUNICATION TRILOGY. It builds upon the theoretical groundwork laid earlier and moves from diagnosing the structural decay of language toward examining how speech actively participates in the production of distortion, misunderstanding, and ideological cohesion in contemporary society. The central claim of the book is that speech is never neutral. Far from being a transparent vehicle of truth, it (...) functions as a mechanism of coalition-building, power negotiation, and social positioning. The word “conspiracy” is used not in the narrow sense of secret plotting but in its etymological sense of con-spirare — to breathe together. Speech creates communities. Yet this same capacity to unite also enables exclusion, manipulation, and the manufacturing of shared illusions. The book opens with the diagnosis of a language crisis. Public discourse, saturated with slogans, media soundbites, and algorithmically amplified outrage, produces more noise than understanding. Nonsense and stupidity are not treated as individual deficiencies but as systemic outcomes of communicative environments designed for visibility and emotional intensity rather than clarity. Language and evil are examined not as metaphysical abstractions but as social phenomena emerging from habitual distortions of speech. Ayolov introduces the idea that indoctrination operates linguistically. Before beliefs are institutionalised, they are normalised through repetition, framing, and rhetorical conditioning. Speech creates mental architecture long before policies are implemented. In this sense, conspiracy is not always hidden; it is often embedded in ordinary language practices. A substantial section of the book explores conspiracies as communicative structures. Facts, biases, and hegemony interact in the formation of narratives that appear self-evident to insiders yet opaque to outsiders. Conspiracy speech thrives in environments where trust erodes and interpretative communities fragment. The book does not simply dismiss conspiratorial thinking; it analyses how speech patterns, metaphorical framing, and selective emphasis construct persuasive alternative realities. The concept of kayfabe and roleplaying expands this argument. Public actors, particularly in politics and media, often perform sincerity rather than inhabit it. Speech becomes theatrical. The boundary between authentic belief and strategic positioning blurs. Under such conditions, discourse transforms into spectacle, and communication becomes performance addressed to an imagined audience rather than a concrete interlocutor. In the section devoted to Homo loquens, Ayolov returns to the anthropological roots of speech. Talking is presented as drama — a staging of identity, intention, and alliance. To speak is to act. The modalities of thought are inseparable from the modalities of language available within a culture. Inner speech and public speech mirror one another, shaping perception and self-understanding. The analysis of small talk is particularly revealing. Phatic speech — language used to maintain social bonds rather than convey information — is not dismissed as trivial. Instead, it is shown to be foundational for social cohesion. However, when banal speech dominates public discourse, depth diminishes. The “evil of banality” is not loud deception but the quiet erosion of seriousness. Words lose weight through overuse and automatic repetition. Throughout the book, Ayolov argues that mass communication technologies intensify these tendencies. Speech circulates faster than reflection. Visibility replaces accountability. The public sphere fragments into echo chambers where language signals belonging more than it communicates meaning. Under these conditions, miscommunication becomes structural rather than exceptional. Yet the book does not collapse into cynicism. By exposing the mechanics of speech as coalition and performance, it invites greater awareness of how language operates. The solution is not silence but responsibility — a renewed attention to who speaks, why, and to whom. Genuine communication requires scale, sincerity, and the willingness to resist purely performative speech. The Conspiracy of Speech thus functions as a critical anatomy of contemporary discourse. It demonstrates that language is not merely deteriorating from neglect but is actively reshaped by incentives embedded in political, economic, and technological systems. Speech binds communities together, but it can also entrap them in shared distortions. As the second part of Volume I in THE MISCOMMUNICATION TRILOGY, the book deepens the investigation into linguistic decay by focusing on the performative and conspiratorial dimensions of speech itself. It prepares the ground for the broader examination of entropy and fragmentation that the trilogy will continue to unfold. -/- . (shrink)

This article explores the social value of privacy and the intricate relationship between personal autonomy and societal cohesion within the realm of privacy. It contrasts George Herbert Mead’s two models of social organization—hostility and integration—in terms of their impact on the interplay between individuals and society. The model of hostility envisions individuals and society engaged in a zero-sum game, resulting in diminished individuality and an atomistic view of autonomy. In contrast, the model of integration recognizes the interdependence (...) of entities, fostering individuality and promoting a relational understanding of autonomy. Applying these models to privacy theory, the article argues that privacy has often been conceived in terms of hostility, pitting individuals against society. Instead, the article advocates for embracing the model of integration, in which privacy is seen as fundamental to a society where individuals maintain their uniqueness while pursuing a common good. The right to privacy, rooted in this integrative model, allows individuals to preserve their distinct social selves while participating in joint social organization. Furthermore, understanding privacy through the lens of integration highlights the importance of the common good as a necessary condition for both individuality and autonomy. This relational perspective positions privacy as an essential aspect of a democratic and moral society, where diverse individuals mutually constitute themselves and the broader social fabric. By presenting this view, the article offers a fresh understanding of privacy's social value and its implications for societal organization, democracy, and morality. (shrink)

Festival is a performative dimension of cultural praxis that strengthens bonds of cohesion in society. Festivals are also an integral part of religious praxis. They have the potentiality of bringing its adherents and non-adherents together thus creating and sustaining social communion among them. This reality of sustaining social communion confirms an important function of religion in society with particular reference to its social integrative effects. Therefore, this article assesses how religious festival, Christmas, fosters social integration (...) among Igbos in Nigeria. On a related note, many Igbos, see Christmas festival as unique occasion for them to visit their communities; attend meetings of their associations and/or town unions and consolidate family ties. These are opportunities for building social integrations, otherwise denoted as social communion in this research. This work makes use of critical analysis of relevant texts and questionnaire survey methods as means of gathering materials and data for this research. In view of understanding how Christmas festival aids social communion among the Igbo ethnic group, the theories of structural functionalism, social capital and social integration are being utilised as theoretical frameworks for this study. Finally, this study avers that religious festival cements social communion between the Igbos in Calabar Metropolis and their ancestral communities. (shrink)

Opponents of biomedical enhancement frequently adopt what Allen Buchanan has called the “Personal Goods Assumption.” On this assumption, the benefits of biomedical enhancement will accrue primarily to those individuals who undergo enhancements, not to wider society. Buchanan has argued that biomedical enhancements might in fact have substantial social benefits by increasing productivity. We outline another way in which enhancements might benefit wider society: by augmenting civic virtue and thus improving the functioning of our political communities. We thus directly confront (...) critics of biomedical enhancement who argue that it will lead to a loss of social cohesion and a breakdown in political life. (shrink)

Human beings have always lived within forces that exceed our individual scale. Ecological cycles determine survival without consulting preference; collective moods rise and fall with no single author; war spreads through populations with a momentum that no solitary actor fully commands, and economic instability ripples outward from dispersed decisions, altering lives far from their origin. Social cohesion forms and dissolves through countless interactions yet presents itself as a single condition. Stable or fragile, intact or breaking. These phenomena are (...) not reducible to personal intention. They emerge from aggregation, delay, and feedback across time. Before formal modeling tools existed, before probability theory, statistical aggregation, or systems analysis, there remained the practical problem of orientation. A community still needed to recognize patterns, anticipate consequences, and coordinate response. The absence of formal abstraction did not remove complexity; it required another means of managing it. Intentional language provided that means. By attributing agency to patterns that behaved responsively, societies created a usable frame for interacting with distributed dynamics. (shrink)

A shared narrative in the literature on the evolution of cooperation maintains that social _learning_ evolves early to allow for the transmission of cumulative culture. Social _norms_, whilst present at the outset, only rise to prominence later on, mainly to stabilise cooperation against the threat of defection. In contrast, I argue that once we consider insights from social epistemology, an expansion of this narrative presents itself: An interesting kind of social norm — an epistemic coordination norm (...) — was operative in early and important instances of specialised social learning. I show how there’s a need for such norms in two key social learning strategies and explain how this need is constituted. In assessor-teaching (e.g. Castro et al., 2019b, 2021), epistemic coordination norms allow agents to coordinate around the _content_ of social learning, i.e., what is to be known and how this is to be done. These norms also allow agents to coordinate around the form of cultural learning in what’s sometimes called strategic social learning (Laland, 2004; Hoppitt & Laland, 2013; Heyes, 2018, Chap. 5) and elsewhere. Broadly speaking, this concerns how cultural learning is organised within the social group. The upshot is that the evolution of social learning and social norms are intertwined in important and underappreciated ways from early on. The above matters as it informs our views about the evolution of social norms more generally. Truly _social_ norms emerged to coordinate a plurality of complex behaviours and interactions, amongst them specialised social learning. I substantiate this view by contrasting it with Jonathan Birch’s views on the evolution of norms. What results is a general but cohesive narrative on the early evolution of social norms. (shrink)

Cities serve as dynamic arenas where citizens negotiate needs and co-create solutions to enhance urban life. To address the complexities of contemporary urban living, planning must respond to social justice, economic vitality, and cultural inclusion. This study explores how demographic factors—age, ethnicity, and economics—influence art engagement in two culturally distinct Texan cities: Lubbock and El Paso. Using qualitative comparative analysis and data from a graduate seminar at Texas Tech University, we examine student-led art projects reflecting community experiences. These creative (...) works reveal how art fosters communication, cultural belonging, and social cohesion. Findings underscore that integrating art into urban planning—through public installations, murals, and participatory design—can revitalize underutilized spaces and address diverse community needs. The study argues for art as a tool of creative placemaking, especially in demographically varied cities, emphasizing that culturally responsive engagement strategies can cultivate inclusive, vibrant urban environments. (shrink)

This article develops a critical reconstruction of the contemporary paradigm of recognition —represented by Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser— through its systematic contrast with the Philosophy of Belonging. While theories of recognition have explained in great depth the formation of identity, the moral development of the individual and the institutional structures of justice, this work argues that these perspectives operate mainly on normative, symbolic and institutional planes, without fully thematizing the ontological level that makes social existence itself (...) possible. The central thesis defended is that recognition explains how the subject is valued, but does not explain why the subject can exist. Before recognition there is belonging: the real insertion of the individual into affective, social, economic and institutional networks that sustain life. Identity, self-esteem, justice and participation presuppose a deeper prior condition: existential integration into systems of cooperation that allow the continuity of human life. From a detailed comparison between Taylor, Honneth and Fraser, the study shows that each places recognition at a different level: cultural, moral-interpersonal and institutional-structural. However, all three share a common assumption: that recognition is the central organizing principle of social life. In contrast, the Philosophy of Belonging introduces a radical ontological shift by affirming that social cohesion, the historical accumulation of knowledge, institutional stability and large-scale cooperation depend, above all, on real structures of belonging. The article especially deepens the existential, psychological, economic and institutional dimension of belonging, showing that it is not only a conceptual category, but a material, emotional and structural condition that transforms the other into part of the “we.” From this perspective, belonging does not only dignify: it sustains life, stabilizes the social world and makes possible the historical continuity of human cooperation. This article has been written with the assistance of ChatGPT. (shrink)

This essay takes Nietzsche’s “thesis”—that truth is sought only when it serves life—as its starting point to explore the mechanisms of symbolic stabilization that sustain the narrative cohesion of individuals and societies. Rather than opposing Nietzsche to the Ontology of Emerging Complexity (OEC), the text reveals how certain Nietzschean diagnoses anticipate, in psychological and cultural language, dynamics that the OEC interprets on an ontological level. Narrative stabilization, far from being a cognitive error, is presented as a normal and necessary (...) function in the process of matter’s complexification. From this convergence, the text proposes that truth is not an absolute value, but a functional operator acting within cycles of stabilization and reorganization. The survival of the narrative is thus understood as part of a structural interplay between form and excess, where ethics emerges as a situated response to the tension between what is preserved and what is transformed. This reading allows us to reconfigure the role of truth, not as an end in itself, but as a transitory element within a system in constant variation. (shrink)

This article investigates the meaning and uses of the concept epimeleia, a term denoting notions of care, attention, and dedication in Xenophon's Socratic ethics. Whereas care has been a productive concept in feminist and environmental ethics, the ancient Greek concept epimeleia has been largely studied only in its narrow application to the self (epimeleia heautou). I argue that a different aspect of this concept plays a largely overlooked role in Xenophon, where it is a key element in the psychology of (...) action. Epimeleia denotes not merely an attitude or a kind of action, but a psychological capacity that facilitates attunement and attention to objects, people, and tasks, and the investment of mental and physical effort to enhancing them. Xenophon's Socrates, I argue, saw this capacity necessary for the acquisition of practical knowledge, for practical pursuits, as well as for creating social cohesion in collective enterprises such as households, armies, and states. (shrink)

Gabriel Zucman presents his proposal for a global minimum tax on billionaires as one that citizens must debate. They have to weigh the benefits and costs and ultimately decide whether to adopt it. In this article, we aim to contribute to this debate by discussing relevant insights from economic ethics and political philosophy. Our main claim is that the normative case for Zucman’s proposal is very strong because it is overdetermined: there are multiple reasons that are, if each is taken (...) individually, sufficient to justify the proposal. Such a global minimum tax would help address unmet urgent needs, promote social cohesion and relational equality, contribute to climate fairness and ecological transitions, and improve the functioning of democracies. It would also bring the tax system closer in line with the ability-to-pay principle and help reduce undeserved wealth inequality. All these normative considerations combined show that citizens have good reasons to adopt the proposal. If anything, these considerations imply that citizens should, ultimately, aim for an ambitious variant of the proposal. (shrink)

This paper develops a novel, ontologically grounded theory of value-generation, which traces capitalist performance logic back to a fundamental systemic blind spot. The starting point is the observation that work always exists, but value only arises where work becomes visible. The value threshold (T) functions as an epistemic reality filter that decides which forms of work are permitted to emerge as achievement, and which remain invisible. In this sense, value is not understood as the result of production, but as the (...) appearance of reality. The analysis shows that submergent, invisible work (care, ecological regeneration, social cohesion, psychic regulation, cultural stabilisation) generates the majority of societal carrying capacity, yet does not transition into economic value-form. Poverty therefore does not arise from a lack of work, but from a lack of emergence. Capitalism is structurally based on the invisibilisation of world – value arises through exclusion. Only what crosses the value threshold becomes visible. The central contribution of this paper is the derivation of a post-market value order. For this, UBI (Universal Basic Income) is contrasted with an alternative model: UCI (Universal Care Income). While UBI is fed by submergent performance and thus rests upon exploitation, UCI makes invisible work emergent and shifts value ontology. UCI does not generate output, but future-carrying capacity – value as regenerative performance. The diversity marker is defined as the threshold below which systems structurally collapse. In this model, commons do not function as niche solutions, but as emergence machines of a UCI-supported real economy. The result is not a reform programme, but system architecture. An economy after T defines prosperity through complexity-preservation, not growth; income follows world, not wage. In this way an empirically testable research programme is proposed: pilot zones with UCI-distribution, emergence monitoring, diversity metrics, and entropy analysis. Value does not arise through work, but through appearance. This theory shows how invisibility is structurally produced — and how UCI dissolves that condition. This paper functions as an interface text within a larger operator-based research corpus. Core concepts are applied here, not re-derived. The underlying research operates in a non-linear, rhythmically recursive epistemic mode grounded in an autistic form of structural perception; the present text provides an interface translation for academic contexts. (shrink)

This article develops a structural rereading of the history of philosophy through a long-term oscillation between two ontological architectures: the integral cosmology of the whole and the modern ontology of the isolated rational individual. Against this historical polarity, it introduces the Philosophy of Belonging (PB) as a contemporary relational synthesis grounded in the ontological thesis “being is belonging.” The work argues that belonging is constitutive of human existence while always imperfect (anti-fusion), thereby grounding individuality, real freedom, and creativity as ontological (...) consequences rather than merely moral or political concessions. The paper integrates historical philosophy, relational ontology, social theory, and institutional analysis, proposing a tripartite architecture of belonging (affective, social, and existential) and translating relational ontology into normative and institutional criteria such as reliability, repair, dignified public language, and a habitable “we.” Positioned within contemporary relational philosophies (recognition theory, hermeneutics, care ethics, pragmatism, and communitarianism), the Philosophy of Belonging advances a distinct ontological framework that reconstructs community without suppressing individual creativity and freedom, offering a theoretical foundation for understanding polarization, institutional fragility, and the reconstruction of social cohesion in modern societies. (shrink)

Urban green spaces contribute significantly to public health, social cohesion, and environmental quality. However, their inclusive design remains under-examined in mid-sized U.S. cities, especially through a gender-sensitive lens. This study develops a framework for evaluating inclusive and gender-sensitive design of urban green spaces, applying it to downtown Lubbock, Texas. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we deployed an online Qualtrics survey and conducted focus groups with students from Texas Tech University to explore how accessibility, walkability, perceived safety, and design features (...) shape park usage and sense of belonging. Results reveal that inadequate lighting, limited seating, insufficient shade, and unclear signage are major barriers to park use—particularly during early-morning and evening hours. The proposed three-dimensional framework (social dynamics; accessibility & safety; spatial quality) highlights how design and planning practices can reinforce exclusion. Findings offer actionable recommendations for landscape architects and city planners aligned with the Plan Lubbock 2040 vision, suggesting interventions such as targeted lighting enhancements, diversified seating, multilingual signage, and community-led stewardship programs. (shrink)

This is a review of philosophical approaches to music and emotion for the forthcoming 3rd edition of the Oxford Handbook of Music and Emotion edited by Patrik Juslin. The chapter begins by outlining the distinctive ways that philosophers approach issues about music, including the ancient question of whether music has an ethical influence. It is argued that this ancient question requires that the connection between pure instrumental music and emotions is clarified. The chapter then reviews philosophical work on musical expressivity, (...) identifying four key concepts- arousal, resemblance, imagination, and metaphor- as core to current debates (with the imagination view currently dominant). It then turns to issues about emotion induction or arousal, explaining why formalists are sceptical about arousal before examining the mechanisms of expectation and emotional contagion. Finally, the chapter reviews some of the ways that philosophers have further developed issues about music and emotion by considering theories of extended cognition, musical virtues, and the way that music can promote social cohesion. The attached file is the author's preprint. (shrink)

This article aims to sketch a new integrative perspective on what I call change-ability. I define change-ability as skilled ways of coordinating with a rapidly changing world. Many urgent societal challenges – from climate change to obesity, from the mass extinction of species to fraying social cohesion – require people to collectively change everyday patterns of behaviour they take for granted. The key insight I start from is that to durably change undesirable patterns of behaviour, we could start (...) by changing the affordances the environment offers – the possibilities for action offered to us by the living environment. The aim of this article is to sketch an integrative conceptual framework for understanding change-ability in terms in terms of a dynamical ‘brain ↔ body ↔ community ↔ landscape of affordances’ system. This Change-Ability Conceptual Framework starts from the idea that individuals and communities are situated in the same rich landscape of affordances and suggests that making communities more change-able entails transforming the material ‘grooves’ that have formed in this landscape of affordances. (shrink)

This article develops the Ethics of Belonging within the broader framework of the Philosophy of Belonging formulated by Carlos Federico Obregón Díaz. It argues that morality and justice are grounded in the biological, emotional, and evolutionary need to belong, integrating insights from psychology, neurobiology, anthropology, and institutional economics. The paper places the ethics of belonging in systematic dialogue with major ethical traditions—Kantian deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, care ethics, recognition theories, and Marxism—showing how it overcomes the classical dilemma between abstract universalism (...) and relativism. Instead of starting from an isolated autonomous subject, the work proposes a relational ontology summarized in the thesis “to be is to belong,” from which emerges a scientific foundation of ethics centered on the protection, integration, and repair of human belongings. Conceptually, the study articulates the chain: belonging → social ethics → justice, defining justice as the institutional organization that safeguards dignified belongings and prevents exclusion. The article also introduces the notion of the emotional belonging self and the autonomy of belonging as a reformulation of freedom beyond methodological individualism. Overall, the paper contributes to contemporary debates in moral philosophy, political theory, and interdisciplinary ethics by offering an original relational and scientifically grounded alternative to individualistic and purely rationalist ethical frameworks, with implications for institutional design, social cohesion, and the crisis of justice in fragmented societies. (shrink)

Joyce investigates human moral thinking as both an empirical and metaethical puzzle. Empirically, humans uniquely evaluate actions, people, and events morally—a capacity absent in other intelligent social species. He distinguishes moral thinking as either an adaptation shaped by natural selection or as a byproduct of other evolved cognitive traits, emphasizing that current evidence cannot decisively favor either account. Both approaches converge on the view that moral cognition promotes social cohesion and cooperation, highlighting its functional significance irrespective of (...) truth. Moving to metaethics, Joyce explores the implications for moral skepticism. He argues that evolutionary explanations of moral thinking can be endorsed by moral error theorists, suggesting that our moral beliefs may lack epistemic justification. Examining reliabilism, coherentism, intuitionism, and conservatism, he shows how genealogical considerations challenge the epistemic status of moral beliefs across these frameworks. (shrink)

This paper reconstructs the material and social foundations of the Nighaṇṭu–Nirukta by situating its metaphysical vocabulary within the late Vedic world of the sixth century BCE. Against interpretations that treat Yakṣa’s thought as abstract speculation or purely linguistic analysis, the study argues that his central categories—śrama (labour), draviṇa (substance/wealth), bhāga (share), ṛṇa (debt), śraddhā (trust), and vāk (speech)—are conceptual generalisations of a specific historical formation: an iron-using, agrarian, lineage-based, pre-monetary society lacking urban administration, coinage, and juridical enforcement. Drawing on (...) textual analysis of the Nirukta and Nighaṇṭu clusters alongside archaeological and historiographical research, the paper demonstrates that Yakṣa’s metaphysics mirrors the structural conditions of a ritual–industrial economy in transition between clan organisation and early state formation. Varṇa appears as functional division of labour rather than hereditary caste; wealth remains substantive rather than monetary; economic circulation operates through distribution (bhāga) and inherited obligation (ṛṇa); and social cohesion depends on śraddhā as infrastructural trust rather than contractual enforcement. The śūdra embodies productive labour within the system, while niṣāda communities represent the necessary external support upon which the system depends. The Nirukta thus emerges as the philosophical self-articulation of a society poised between pastoral lineage and urban state. Yakṣa does not transcend material life; he elevates its structural relations into ontology. His metaphysics is the conceptual architecture of a world in transformation. (shrink)