The purpose of this note is to study impulsive control and synchronization of memristor based chaotic circuits shown by Muthuswamy. We first establish a less conservative sufficient condition for the stability of memristor based chaotic circuits. After that, we discuss the effect of errors on stability. Meanwhile, we also discuss impulsive synchronization of two memristor based chaotic systems. Our results are more general and more applicable than the ones shown by Yang, Li, and Huang. Finally, several numerical examples are given (...) to show the effectiveness of our methods. (shrink)

Tianyan is a fundamental concept for understanding Yan Fu’s (1854–1921) distinctive approach to modernization. Departing from the pragmatic focus of earlier reformers, he envisioned a path of spiritual and ethical renewal informed by evolutionary science. This paper examines how Yan Fu manipulated the evolutionary ideas of Thomas Huxley (1825–1895) and Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) and integrated them with traditional Chinese metaphysics to conceptualize a new cultural ideology, or the new Way (Dao), against a historical backdrop defined by shifting dynamics between diverse (...) philosophies and worldviews. By examining his tianyan cosmology, the study illuminates Yan’s development of a modern ethical paradigm focused on individual and national character-building amidst historical transformations and cultural dialogues. Yan’s work reveals pathways for cultivating a modern identity and ethical structure within a globalizing context, making his intellectual legacy especially relevant to contemporary reflections on modernity and cross-cultural ethical evolution. (shrink)

Out of the consideration of the same artistic essence and aesthetic function of drama and opera as theater, many directors devoted their lives to building a "golden bridge" between drama and opera: on the one hand, to maintain the traditional characteristics of opera, but "to make use of new ideas, new techniques, and new organization, so that the face of the old opera can be renewed". On the other hand, their early practice of new drama also made them realize that (...) Chinese drama, which lacked roots, "in terms of scriptwriting and acting, its only master was the Chinese opera. On the other hand, their early practice of new drama also made them realize that Chinese drama, which lacked roots, was "still the only master of Chinese opera in terms of scriptwriting and performance" and therefore needed to draw on the aesthetic spirit and artistic techniques of traditional opera, and in their later years they hoped that drama would "create the latest and most beautiful dramatic art on the basis of tradition". Many directors have left an important legacy for the 20th century Chinese theater by their thinking about and defending the aesthetic nature of theater and its "independent and dignified" artistic status, as well as by their important ideas and remarkable practice of fusing drama and opera to create modern Chinese national theater. It is of great importance to evaluate the effect of fusion. In this paper, we study the deep integration effect measurement of traditional drama and modern drama directing art based on intelligent computing and time-series data analysis, which effectively solves this problem. (shrink)

To better reflect the precise clustering results of the data samples with different shapes and densities for affinity propagation clustering algorithm, an improved integrated clustering learning strategy based on three-stage affinity propagation algorithm with density peak optimization theory was proposed in this paper. DPKT-AP combined the ideology of integrated clustering with the AP algorithm, by introducing the density peak theory and k-means algorithm to carry on the three-stage clustering process. In the first stage, the clustering center point was selected by (...) density peak clustering. Because the clustering center was surrounded by the nearest neighbor point with lower local density and had a relatively large distance from other points with higher density, it could help the k-means algorithm in the second stage avoiding the local optimal situation. In the second stage, the k-means algorithm was used to cluster the data samples to form several relatively small spherical subgroups, and each of subgroups had a local density maximum point, which is called the center point of the subgroup. In the third stage, DPKT-AP used the AP algorithm to merge and cluster the spherical subgroups. Experiments on UCI data sets and synthetic data sets showed that DPKT-AP improved the clustering performance and accuracy for the algorithm. (shrink)

This paper studies university students’ job‐selection criteria as an indicator of how socio‐economic forces have deconstructed the state‐supported value system in China in the course of reformatting a society in which money‐power has risen to combat not only political control but moral forces. The analysis is based on the surveys conducted by Chinese researchers in various institutes and different regions between 1990 and 1995. The study suggests the increasing importance of “a good income” in graduate job selection, which is a (...) reflection of a set of new concepts competing with the official ideology. Growing market forces, translated into educational reform as “economic efficiency”, have undermined the effectiveness of political‐moral education. Because of the collapse of traditional values and the lack of new ethical standards of conduct, “money talks” has become a norm guiding social behaviours and personal relationships, and has helped form a force to resist the power of political‐moral education. (shrink)

The challenge from the sophists with whom Plato is confronted is: Who can prove that the just man without power is happy whereas the unjust man with power is not? This challenge concerns the basic issue of politics: the relationship between justice and happiness. Will the unjust man gain the exceptional “happiness of the strong” by abusing his power and by injustice? The gist of Plato’s reply is to speak not of “justice” but of “intrinsic justice,” i.e., the strength of (...) virtue which, in his account, is the fundamental good of man. Nevertheless, many contend that intrinsic justice is actually injustice, for the division of power in the state is undemocratic while in the soul, the suppression of desire by the reason. Plato’s advocacy of hierarchical, elite political system has enraged democrats, while his idea of “philosopher king” has enraged the aristocrats as well. So, who will appreciate Plato’s effort? (shrink)

Enhancing teacher leadership is not only one of the approaches to improving teaching and learning, but it is also essential to the success of education reform. Based on leader-member exchange theory, 294 preschool teachers in China were surveyed, and a structural equation model was established to explore the relationship between the participating teachers' principal leadership style, teacher leadership and psychological capital. The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between transformational and transactional leadership styles and preschool teacher leadership. The laissez-faire leadership (...) style had no correlation with preschool teacher leadership. The transformational leadership style and transactional leadership style were significantly and positively correlated with psychological capital, while the laissez-faire leadership style was significantly and negatively correlated with psychological capital. The transformational leadership style can positively influence preschool teacher leadership directly and indirectly through psychological capital; and the transactional leadership style can only positively influence preschool teacher leadership indirectly through the mediating role of psychological capital. Preschool teachers' leadership can neither be directly influenced by a laissez-faire leadership style nor be indirectly influenced through the mediating role of psychological capital. (shrink)

本书不仅深化了我们对规范的政治理论与道德哲学的关系的解释,而且也在道德哲学领域中产生了一系列值得我们关注的重要争论.

本书共分五章,内容包括:综述、语言性认知操作三模式论、语言特点与思辨理性的语言进路、先秦名家“诡辩”命题新解、公孙龙子“诡辩”命题新论。.

In recent years, the animation industry has achieved unprecedented development trends, and many excellent animation works have emerged in China, which are popular with audiences. Among all kinds of animation works, the most important feature is the integration of traditional Chinese philosophical and cultural elements, which leads to the difference between Chinese animation works and other countries. It not only conforms to the aesthetic standards of Chinese people, but also gives play to the traditional Chinese culture, providing a direction for (...) further promoting the inheritance and development of outstanding traditions. With the rise of mobile intelligent terminals, the vigorous development of the Internet era, and the rising demand of people for the existing market, traditional philosophy and culture, as a new business opportunity, has great development prospects in this era. The fashion transformation of traditional philosophy and culture in the animation art is about to attract more attention from capital and entrepreneurs. In animation art design, the most important core concept is artistic creativity. Due to China's lack of originality in animation design for a long time, this paper attempts to revive China's animation art design by applying traditional innovative ideas in the fashion transformation of animation art design schemes. This new artistic expression method is aimed at better expressing the theme of animation activities, maximizing the value of animation works and promoting the development of animation industry. Through the transformation and innovation of traditional philosophy and culture and animation art customization, this paper explores the transformation and innovation of traditional philosophy and culture and animation art customization in order to provide some reference for the development of animation industry. (shrink)

Mou Zongsan incorrectly uses Kant's practical reason to interpret Confucianism. The saying that "what is it that we have in common in our minds? It is the il 理 (principles) and the yi 义 (righteousness)" reveals how Mencius explains the origin of il and yi through a theory of common sense. In "the li and the yi please our minds, just as the flesh of beef and mutton and pork please our mouths," "please" is used twice, proving aesthetic judgment is (...) necessary to understanding Mencius. An analysis of Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming's ideas will show that Confucianism should be interpreted by appealing to aesthetic judgment, and a discussion of Kant's theory of judgment and Gadamer's critique of Kant's theory will support the same point. The conclusion is that Chinese moral philosophy should be interpreted through aesthetic judgment. /// 牟宗三以康德实践理性解说儒学是一错误思路。"心之所同然者何也?谓理 也，义也", 表明孟子以共通感论述理义来源, "理义之悦我心，犹当拳之悦我口" 两用 "悦" 字，证明应当以直感判断力解说孟子。分析朱子、阳明的一些言论证 明以直感判断力解说儒学则若合符节; 并引述康德关于判断力的相关学说、伽达 默尔对康德的批评支持上述论点; 从而主张，中国道德哲学宜以直感判断力来解 释。. (shrink)

To mitigate risk, should companies signal a broad range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives or instead focus on only a few ESG issues? Drawing on signaling theory, we propose that a broad array of ESG initiatives generates not only signal consistency but also accelerating signal costs. Our empirical results support the resultant hypothesis of a curvilinear relationship between ESG scope and equity risk. In addition, this U-shaped curve seems to become steeper when firms face multiple media-reported ESG controversies. (...) Overall, our study qualifies the conventional wisdom that firms can reduce equity risk by attending to a wide variety of stakeholders and highlights the moderating (signal-amplifying) impact of the firm’s media environment. (shrink)

We find that ESG controversies significantly increase the likelihood that inventors seek employment elsewhere, primarily driven by misalignment with their prosocial motivations and heightened concerns about their career prospects. Supporting the Misalignment Channel, the effect of ESG controversies on inventors’ job-hopping is more pronounced for inventors located in states with high social capital and for those working in firms that emphasize an integrity culture. Consistent with the Career Concern Channel, the effect is also stronger for firms that are less attentive (...) to employee career development and for those more vulnerable to ESG controversies. Moreover, the impact is amplified during periods of low unemployment and among more experienced inventors. Beyond job-hopping, we show that ESG controversies reduce firms’ innovative productivity, and that departing inventors tend to join firms with stronger ESG profiles. Our findings are robust to both difference-in-differences and instrumental variable two-stage least squares analyses. Overall, this study provides novel evidence on the real impact of ESG controversies on critical human capital, demonstrating that ethical lapses undermine both workforce stability and innovation output. (shrink)

Reason: The article ‘The aesthetics of Gannan Hakka architecture in modern housing: A design psychology perspective’ by Xiang Lei, Hao Cao and Limin Guo has been retracted by AOSIS, as publisher, following an investigation undertaken by the publisher. This investigation has uncovered evidence of systematic manipulation of the publication and peer-review process. We cannot, therefore, vouch for the reliability or integrity of this article. Please note that this notice is intended solely to alert readers that the peer-review process of this (...) article has been compromised. AOSIS regret that the usual quality checks did not identify these issues before publication and has since put additional measures in place to safeguard research integrity. The corresponding author, as the representative of all authors, has been given the opportunity to register their agreement or disagreement with this retraction. We have kept a record of any response received. (shrink)

Based on work-family border theory and work-home resource theory, this paper examines the impact of border keeper’s support on work-family enrichment and whether or how work-family boundary flexibility mediates the relationship between border keeper’s support and work-family enrichment. A sample of 504 preschool teachers in Guangdong province, China completed questionnaires. The research results show a two-way process of work-family enrichment for preschool teachers in China. Organizational support was directly and significantly correlated with work-to-family enrichment, and family support was significantly and (...) directly correlated with family-to-work enrichment. Organizational support had no significant positive predictive effect on work boundary flexibility which has a significant positive predictive effect on WFE. Family support had a significant positive predictive effect on family boundary flexibility which had a significant positive predictive effect on the FWE. In addition, the study found that family boundary flexibility mediates the relationships between family support and FWE whereas work boundary flexibility did not mediate the relationships between organizational support and WFE. The above research results are partly consistent with the existing research, and partly inconsistent, which is related to the profound influence of traditional culture in Chinese society and the current situation of preschool teachers in China. Such findings have important implications for improving the work-family enrichment of preschool teachers. (shrink)

A fuzzy predictive fault-tolerant control scheme is proposed for a wide class of discrete-time nonlinear systems with uncertainties, interval time-varying delays, and partial actuator failures as well as unknown disturbances, in which the main opinions focus on the relevant theory of FPFTC based on Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model description of these systems. The T-S fuzzy model represents the discrete-time nonlinear system in the form of the discrete uncertain time-varying delay state space, which is firstly constructed by a set of local linear (...) models and the nonlinear membership functions. The novel improved state space model can be further obtained by extending the output tracking error to the constructed model. Then the fuzzy predictive fault-tolerant control law based on this extended model is designed, which can increase more control degrees of freedom. Utilizing Lyapunov-Krasovskill theory, less conservative delay-range-dependent stable conditions in terms of linear matrix inequality constraints are given to ensure the asymptotically robust stability of closed-loop system. Meanwhile, the optimized cost function and H-infinity performance index are introduced to the stable conditions to guarantee the robust performance and antidisturbance capability. The simulation results on the temperature control of a strong nonlinear continuous stirred tank reactor show that the proposed control scheme is feasible and effective. (shrink)

Existing studies have primarily examined the influence of ethical conflict on team dynamics and individual members, often assuming that members within a team are equally involved in the conflict and that its impacts are limited to those directly engaged. Yet, recent work indicates that many employees merely serve as third parties during conflicts, without expressing differing viewpoints or behaviorally taking sides. Thus, whether and how observed ethical conflict shapes third-party employees’ subsequent workplace behaviors remains unclear. In this article, we draw (...) on the dual-system theory of ethical decision-making to address this question. We suggest that observed ethical conflict can elicit anxiety in third-party employees, which leads to increased ethical silence. Meanwhile, we propose that observed ethical conflict fosters moral reflection, which contributes to increased ethical voice. We also theorize that observers’ implicit theories of morality may serve as a key boundary condition. Entity theorists experience stronger anxiety and are more inclined to remain silent about ethical issues, while incremental theorists are more likely to engage in moral reflection and ethical voice after witnessing ethical conflict. Across one scenario-based experiment and two time-lagged field surveys, we largely found support for the hypotheses. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (shrink)

In the digital era, digital games, particularly those in virtual spaces, have become integral to daily life, offering users not only a blend of real and virtual world interactions but also an enhanced sense of happiness and fulfilment. However, traditional digital gaming modes often fall short in meeting the increasing demands for higher quality and more immersive experiences. This paper proposes a new model for the development of artificial intelligence-driven digital games based on virtual space, addressing the ethical and spiritual (...) implications of such advancements. The research builds on data from a 2018 user expectation survey, which indicated significant demand for enhanced virtual reality (VR) games, improved voice communication, and tactile interaction within these environments. We developed a multidimensional model incorporating vision, touch, and auditory feedback, utilizing a Kinect-based haptic interaction redirection algorithm to enhance physical-virtual interaction. This algorithm significantly reduces angular deviation by 10% in virtual navigation, enhancing the boundary definition in virtual spaces and thereby improving the immersive experience. Further enhancements include an Encoder-Decoder (ED) framework for voice communication that employs a neural network with multiple feedback loops to adjust weight values, improving speech recognition accuracy by 15%. This system provides a more responsive and realistic communication environment within digital games. Lastly, the application of computer vision technology and deep learning techniques, including a backpropagation (BP) neural network, improves the system's image recognition capabilities, extending its precision and capacity for rendering high-definition, precise game graphics. This study not only advances the technical aspects of AI in gaming but also prompts a deeper philosophical discussion on the ethical and spiritual impacts of these immersive virtual environments. As AI continues to blur the lines between reality and virtuality, this research invites further inquiry into how such technologies influence human perception, behavior, and morality within digital spaces. (shrink)

We investigate how firms adjust corporate pension plans in response to economic policy uncertainty (EPU). Using a sample of US-listed firms, we find that firms increase pension underfunding levels when facing higher EPU. The result is robust to controlling for pension portfolio returns, discount rates, plan sizes, pension liability, numbers of employees, other macroeconomic factors, difference-in-differences and instrumental variable estimation, and additional evidence of pension risk-shifting. Further analysis reveals that financial distress and information asymmetry induced through EPU are the potential (...) channels. The effect is stronger for firms having CEOs being excessively paid, using cash flow as a performance metric in CEO compensation, paying high dividends, and having short-term institutional investors, whereas the presence of unions, positive corporate culture, and social capital alleviate the effect. Notably, managers, not shareholders, appear to be the party reaping the benefits. Our findings suggest that firms may shift risk to employees in response to heightened uncertainty and institutional characteristics play a moderating role in this crucial business ethics issue. (shrink)

Although previous studies showed that women’s menopause-related symptoms varied in different ethnic groups and countries, and were affected by specific social and cultural factors, few studies have been conducted to explore menopause-related symptoms and its influencing factors in middle-aged women among ethnic groups in China. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of menopause-related symptoms and its influencing factors among Mosuo, Yi, and Han women in Yongning area of Yunnan province, China. A cross-cultural design by snowball sampling method was used (...) to recruit 208 women aged 40–60 from Yongning Township, Ninglang County, Yunnan province, China. The 11-item Menopause Rating Scale was used to assess menopause-related symptoms. Compared with Yi and Han women, Mosuo women were accorded the highest family status. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that ethnicity, age, family support, and family decision-making patterns were associated with the severity of menopause-related symptoms. Yi and Han women had more severe menopause-related symptoms than Mosuo women. Among the three groups, women living in “female-dominated” and “co-deliberated” households had significantly lower scores of menopause-related symptoms than those in “male-dominated” households. This study indicates that menopause-related symptoms vary among middle-aged women in different ethnic groups. A higher level of female status in the family and family support may be protective factors of menopause-related symptoms in middle-aged women. (shrink)

The rapid acceleration of societal change has subjected contemporary individuals to prolonged periods of diverse pressures, leading to substantial psychological strain, resulting in anxiety, depression, and compromised mental well-being. Within this context, the home has evolved into a vital refuge for modern individuals, offering both physical and psychological respite. Through experimental intervention, this study examines two distinct residential groups: those adhering to traditional housing and those residing in characteristic folk houses, specifically Gannan Hakka architecture. Analysing the psychological state of contemporary (...) individuals and integrating Gannan Hakka architectural elements into folk house design through a psychologically informed approach, this research aims to enhance residents’ aesthetic experiences and alleviate psychological distress. The study involved 120 volunteers with varying psychological stress levels, categorised into characteristic and traditional folk house groups. Psychological assessments evaluated stress, self-efficacy, and quality of life. Findings reveal significantly improved psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and quality of life among the characteristic residential group, affirming the benefits of Gannan Hakka architecture integration. This research underscores the importance of addressing modern individuals’ environmental needs and proposes the integration of Gannan Hakka cultural elements into residential design to enhance well-being. Contribution: This study demonstrates the application of Hakka culture in contemporary housing profoundly influences residents’ lives, enabling both relaxation and a deeper cultural connection. This integration facilitates a comprehensive understanding of Hakka culture, promoting its preservation. Notably recognised for hospitality and diligence, Hakka culture enhances individuals’ appreciation of tradition, fostering physical and mental rejuvenation. These findings offer valuable insights for practical theology scholars and practitioners exploring the impact of religious aspects on modern residential design from a psychological perspective. (shrink)

ABSTRACTWhile pedagogical content knowledge has been studied across a wide range of research areas, including science, language teaching and mathematics, there is limited research on the role...

Although the effects of pro-organizational motives on pro-organizational behaviors [i.e., unethical pro-organizational behavior and organizational citizenship behavior ] and their boundaries have been explored to some extent, extant studies are rather piecemeal and in need of synthesis and extension. Based on prior motivational research on pro-organizational behaviors, we developed a comprehensive contingent model in which moral identity and impression management motives would moderate the links between pro-organizational motives, UPB, and OCB. Adopting a time-lagged design, we collected data from 218 salespeople (...) in an internet technology service company in China. Results showed that pro-organizational motives were positively related to UPB and OCB. Moral identity weakened the impact of pro-organizational motives on UPB but strengthened the influence of pro-organizational motives on OCB. Furthermore, we found that impression management motives strengthened the effects of pro-organizational motives on UPB and OCB, and the interaction of impression management motives and pro-organizational motives was stronger on UPB than on OCB. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. (shrink)

In this paper, we first present a generalization of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. As an application of our result, we obtain a new sufficient condition for the stability of a class of nonlinear impulsive control systems. We end up this note with a numerical example which shows the effectiveness of our method.

This thesis presents Liminal Consciousness Theory (LCT), a novel theoretical framework that addresses the fundamental philosophical question of whether reality includes stable domains of in-between existence that are neither fully material nor fully immaterial. Through comprehensive analysis of existing literature in consciousness studies, quantum mechanics, phenomenology, and process philosophy, this work develops a unique perspective that has yet to be considered by human researchers. LCT proposes that consciousness, personal identity, and phenomena traditionally classified as supernatural emerge from stable (...) class='Hi'>liminal domains that exist in quantum superposition states between material and immaterial reality. -/- The theory is grounded in empirical findings from neuroscience research on altered states of consciousness, particularly hypnagogic and hypnopompic states, which demonstrate enhanced creativity and anomalous experiences. Mathematical formulations based on quantum field theory provide a rigorous foundation for understanding liminal dynamics, while phenomenological analysis reveals the experiential structures of in-between existence. The framework generates specific empirical predictions including measurable parameters such as the Liminal Coherence Index (LCI), Threshold Sensitivity Quotient (TSQ), and Ontological Stability Metric (OSM). -/- Key findings include: (1) consciousness emerges from liminal coherence patterns rather than purely material brain processes, (2) personal identity exists as a dynamic process of becoming within liminal domains rather than a static property, (3) supernatural phenomena represent natural interactions with liminal reality rather than violations of physical law, and (4) liminal domains provide a unified framework for understanding creativity, mystical experience, and anomalous phenomena. The theory offers significant advantages over existing materialist, dualist, and idealist approaches by resolving the hard problem of consciousness while maintaining empirical testability. -/- This work contributes to multiple fields including philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, quantum biology, and anomalous phenomena research. The implications extend beyond academic theory to practical applications in therapy, education, and human development. LCT represents a paradigm shift toward understanding reality as fundamentally processual and liminal rather than composed of discrete material and mental substances. (shrink)

This thesis addresses the enduring philosophical paradox of a state of being that lies between conventional existence and non-existence—a state whose existence is defined by its non-existence, and whose non-existence constitutes a form of existence. Traditional metaphysical frameworks, often constrained by binary logic, struggle to adequately conceptualize such liminal states. This work proposes a novel theoretical framework, Ontological Liminality Theory (OLT), to address this challenge. OLT integrates insights from contemporary metaphysics, analytic philosophy, philosophy of mind, Eastern philosophical traditions, and (...) empirical findings from quantum physics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence research. The framework is built upon five core concepts: Modal Oscillation, Perspectival Ontology, Ontological Gradience, Relational Manifestation, and Emergent Phenomenality. These concepts are synthesized within a multidimensional Liminal Ontology Matrix, providing a nuanced apparatus for mapping and analyzing entities that defy binary classification. The thesis presents rigorous logical arguments supporting OLT, grounded in recent peer-reviewed literature and empirical evidence, particularly concerning the ontological status of AI systems and virtual entities. Visual diagrams illustrate the core concepts and their integration. OLT offers a new paradigm for understanding existence, moving beyond binary constraints to accommodate the complexities of quantum phenomena, consciousness, social constructs, and the burgeoning realm of digital being, thereby providing a more robust and empirically relevant approach to contemporary ontological challenges. (shrink)

This thesis addresses the fundamental philosophical question of whether liminal existence can be defined and measured as an ontological category distinct from conventional binaries of being and non-being. Through the development of a novel theoretical framework termed Quantum-Phenomenological Liminal Ontology (QPLO), this research demonstrates that liminal states constitute a measurable third ontological category that transcends traditional binary classifications. The QPLO framework integrates insights from quantum measurement theory, phenomenological methodology, and consciousness studies to provide both theoretical foundation and (...) empirical validation for liminal existence as a fundamental aspect of reality. -/- The research introduces the Liminal Coherence Index (LCI) as a quantitative measure for assessing the degree of liminality in various entities, ranging from consciousness and quantum states to social phenomena and cultural constructs. Through comprehensive empirical validation involving intersubjective measurement protocols and quantum analogy testing, this thesis establishes that liminal existence exhibits measurable properties including superposition characteristics, observer dependence, phenomenological accessibility, temporal dynamics, and relational constitution. -/- Key findings demonstrate that entities traditionally considered paradoxical or ambiguous—such as consciousness, quantum superposition states, dreams, and social identities—exhibit high liminal coherence indices, suggesting they belong to a distinct ontological category that cannot be adequately captured by binary being/non-being frameworks. The research provides compelling evidence that liminal existence represents a fundamental aspect of reality that requires new ontological categories and measurement methodologies to be properly understood and studied. -/- This work contributes to multiple fields including philosophy of mind, quantum ontology, phenomenology, and consciousness studies by offering a unified framework for understanding and measuring states that exist "between" conventional ontological categories. The implications extend to practical applications in psychology, anthropology, quantum biology, and artificial intelligence research. (shrink)

Despite growing interest in identity within the management and organization studies, Indigenous identity in the Indian context remains underexplored. To address this gap, I examine the identity struggles of tea plantation laborers (Tea-Tribe laborers) in Assam, India. Specifically, I explore how the tea plantation laborers experience and navigate liminality between their institutionalized occupational identity as a laborer and under-institutionalized ethnic identity as an Adivasi. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 Tea-Tribe laborers and adopting a constructivist approach, I identify important distinctions (...) in their identity work. For the institutionalized (laborer) identity, their identity work primarily takes the form of political advocacy. In contrast, for the under-institutionalized (Adivasi) identity, they engage in cultural assertion along with political advocacy. My study contributes to the positional liminality literature by showing how intersecting disadvantaged identities shape liminal experiences and how individuals navigate them through identity work. (shrink)

Although the concept of Responsible Innovation (RI) has been applied to different types of innovations, three common assumptions have remained the same. First, emerging technologies require assessment because of their radical novelty and unpredictability. Second, early assessment is necessary to impact the innovation trajectory. Third, anticipation of unknowns is needed to prepare for the unpredictable. I argue that these assumptions do not hold for liminal innovation practices in clinical settings, which are defined by continuous transition on both sides of (...) the threshold between experiment and implementation, and between research and care. First of all, technologies at the center of liminal innovation practices have different characteristics than those typically attributed to emerging technologies. Additionally, the innovation trajectory is significantly different allowing continuous assessment and shaping long after implementation. Finally, these differences demand a reorientation in RI approaches for these cases, away from anticipation of the unknown and uncertain, and returning to observation of the known and predictable. (shrink)

Novel biological entities such as cell lines and organoids do not typically fit into established conceptual categories, such as ‘human’ or ‘nonhuman’, ‘gift’ or ‘property’. This makes developing robust ethical principles or policy solutions difficult. In this article, we present a new approach to the ethics of novel biological entities, which we call ‘liminal bioethics’. We argue that some entities are best understood as liminal; we should not try to shoehorn them into existing categories or modify our concepts (...) to suit them. However, we must investigate which concepts help articulate an entity's liminal status most precisely. The choice of concepts, in turn, may suggest correspondingly liminal ethical principles or solutions for that entity. To demonstrate how this method works, we focus on immortalised cell lines as a test case, while also considering its implications for more recent breakthroughs in cell culture technology relating to organoids and assembloids. First, we demonstrate why the gift‐property distinction is inadequate for framing the liminality of cell lines. We then argue for cell lines as being located in a liminal conceptual space between body part and organism, and discuss the conceptual shift that this entails for understanding the status of cell lines and organoids. We suggest that ethical principles in relation to cell lines should reflect this particular liminality; for example, commercial exchange of cell lines seems more acceptable than with body parts, but some means of respecting cell lines' continuing human connection should still be in place. (shrink)

The concept of social identity is central to research on epistemic injustice, but what it means to belong or not to belong to a marginalized identity is often left undertheorized. After offering an overview of the state of the art in social and feminist epistemology, in this introduction we argue that liminal and interstitial identities challenge received notions and push the conversation further. We then provide a brief synopsis of the articles included in this special issue.

Liminality and the Modern offers a comprehensive introduction to this concept, discussing its development and laying out a conceptual and experiential framework for thinking about change in terms of liminality. Applying this framework to questions surrounding the implosion of ‘non-spaces’, the analysis of major historical periods and the study of political revolution, the book also explores its possible uses in social science research and its implications for our understanding of the uncertainty and contingency of the liquid structures of modern society.

Beyond Liminality: Ontologies of Abundant Betweenness examines the concept of liminality in the social sciences and humanities, and advocates for a more critical use of the concept while offering more precise alternatives. Originally conceived in response to the near-universal ritualization of changes of status (i.e., 'rites of passage'), liminality was a welcome and much-needed correction to the reigning static and structural models of culture at the time. However, it soon escapes its initial realm and was enthusiastically--and most uncritically--absorbed by many (...) if not all scholarly disciplines. The very success of the concept suggests that there is something about it that resonates with our own cultural sentiments. However, the assumptions that underlie diagnoses of liminality are seldom noted and even more seldom analyzed and critiqued. This book examines the history of the concept, its evolution, and its current status, and asks whether liminality accurately reflects lived realities which might better be described by fluidity, hybridity, multiplicity, constant motion and recombination, and abundant betweenness. Beyond Liminality: Ontologies of Abundant Betweenness is key reading for scholars and students across the social sciences and humanities interested in ritual, performance, identity formation, rights, ontology, and epistemology. (shrink)

Little and colleagues’ paper describing a key aspect of cancer patients’ experience, that of “liminality,” is remarkable for giving articulation to a very common and yet mostly overlooked aspect of patient experience. Little et. al. offered a formulation of liminality that deliberately set aside the concept’s more common use in analysing social rituals, in order to grasp at the interior experience that arises when failing bodily function and awareness of mortality are forced into someone’s consciousness, as occurs with a diagnosis (...) of cancer. We set out the reasons as to why this analysis was so significant in 1998—but we also consider how the “liminality” described by Little and colleagues was a feature of modernity, founded on what we term “the mirage of settlement.” We argue that this mirage is impossible to sustain in 2022 amid the many forms of un-settling that have characterized late modernity, including climate change and COVID-19. We argue that many people in developed nations now experience liminality as a result of the being forced into the consciousness of living in a continued state of coloniality. We thus rejoin the social aspects of liminality to the interior, Existential form described by Little et. al. (shrink)

Port Cities are historically the places for paradigm shifts, radical changes, and socio-economic transitions. In particular, the interaction zone between the port infrastructure and urban activities creates liminal spaces at the forefront of many contemporary challenges. In these liminal spaces, the port's flows, form, and function intertwine with urban contexts and conflict with the living conditions. Conceptualizing the portcityscape and harborscape as liminal space and urban thresholds leads to (re)thinking about innovative participatory methods and technologies for building (...) community resilience in port cities. Additionally, inevitable constant development in port cities requires adaptability and resilience from the waterfronts to the hinterlands and city centers. Such confrontation of port infrastructures and urbanization is socio-politically and spatially challenging, specifically in historic port cities. Therefore, as the approach to exploiting energy and human resources changes over time, the physicality of the built environment in port cities and how we (re)use the resources need to be redefined. This research investigates key socio-spatial features and challenges of port cities by examining how the port's proximity to the city requires coordination, collaboration, transparency, and community dialogue. The introduction and background literature discuss three domains and notions of port city studies, building community resiliency through participatory frameworks, and parasitic architecture. By building upon this analytical framework, the paper presents case studies developed within the research-led design studio focusing on building resilient communities in four port cities, including Amsterdam, Constanta, Alexandria, and Rio De Janeiro. This research focus on the community-enabled application of emerging technologies, innovative approaches, and co-designing and co-building participatory methods. The selected case studies introduce an integrative and multi-scalar pedagogical framework for building resilient communities in liminal spaces of port cities. (shrink)

The doctor in a foreign country is a recurring theme in physician writer Richard Selzer’s stories. In his 2009 novel, Knife Song Korea, Selzer returns to this theme, examining it in depth through the lens of gender. Selzer features the American military surgeon Sloane’s multiple border-crossings, namely, from America to Korea, from health to patienthood, and from sex-exploitation to love. Crossing those visible or invisible borders in the gender and race conscious contexts of medical profession and military in wartime Korea, (...) Sloane finds himself liminally located among various masculine stereotypes. The mixed-race situation in the novel further pushes Sloane to realize the unbearability of the baggage of American manhood as represented in his profession. Selzer’s punishment of Sloane’s border-crossings seems to suggest that physicians, together with patients, are equally likely to be victimized by the macho norms in medicine. (shrink)

Narrative analysis is well established as a means of examining the subjective experience of those who suffer chronic illness and cancer. In a study of perceptions of the outcomes of treatment of cancer of the colon, we have been struck by the consistency with which patients record three particular observations of their subjective experience: the immediate impact of the cancer diagnosis and a persisting identification as a cancer patient, regardless of the time since treatment and of the presence or absence (...) of persistent or recurrent disease; a state of variable alienation from social familiars, expressed as an inability to communicate the nature of the experience of the illness, its diagnosis and treatment; and a persistent sense of boundedness, an awareness of limits to space, empowerment and available time. These subjectivities were experienced in varying degree by all patients in our study. Individual responses to these experiences were complex and variable. The experiences are best understood under the rubric of a category we call “liminality”. We believe that all cancer patients enter and experience liminality as a process which begins with the first manifestations of their malignancy. An initial acute phase of liminality is marked by disorientation, a sense of loss and of loss of control, and a sense of uncertainty. An adaptive, enduring phase of suspended liminality supervenes, in which each patient constructs and reconstructs meaning for their experience by means of narrative. This phase persists, probably for the rest of the cancer patient’s life. The experience of liminality is firmly grounded in the changing and experiencing body that houses both the disease and the self. Insights into the nature of the experience can be gained from the Existentialist philosophers and from the history of attitudes to death. Understanding liminality helps us to understand what it is that patients with cancer seek from the system to which they turn for help. Its explication should therefore be important for those who provide health care, those who educate health care workers and those concerned to study and use outcomes as administrative and policy making instruments. (shrink)

Suicide among individuals under probation supervision constitutes a significant concern within public health and criminal justice systems, owing to rates that consistently exceed those observed in the general population. Conventional approaches to suicide prevention primarily emphasise clinical interventions, psychological risk assessments, and multi-agency collaboration. In contrast, an emerging body of literature in philosophical and contemplative traditions, particularly that concerning Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, offers complementary methodologies grounded in ethical self-cultivation, embodied awareness, and transformative introspection. The present article is a theoretical and philosophical (...) inquiry. It does not aim to provide empirical validation but to develop a conceptual framework that reinterprets suicidality in probation contexts through a cross-cultural philosophical lens. The analysis further draws on established psychological models of suicide, including Shneidman's Psychache model, Joiner's Interpersonal Theory, Williams' Cry of Pain model, and O'Connor's Integrated Motivational-Volitional model, to examine how the existential, ethical, and symbolic dimensions of suicidality may enrich and extend clinical understandings of suicide risk. The paper investigates the potential contributions of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga philosophy and ethics to suicide prevention in probation contexts, arguing that its integration of moral reflection and somatic mindfulness may promote psychological resilience, autonomy, and sustainable reintegration into the fabric of society. In doing so, the discussion draws upon Mircea Eliade's philosophy of religion to frame probation not simply as a legal condition, but as a modern instance of existential liminality, in which symbolic reintegration becomes essential to survival. The paper also approaches Aṣṭāṅga Yoga through the perspective of pragmatist philosophy, with particular emphasis on practical somaesthetics as developed by Richard Shusterman. (shrink)

This article brings together two concepts, ‘phantom fat’ and ‘liminal fat’, which both aim to grasp how fat in contemporary culture becomes a kind of material immateriality, corporeality in suspension. Comparing the spheres of representation and experience, we examine the challenges and usefulness of these concepts, and feminist fat studies perspectives more broadly, to feminist scholarship on the body. We ask what connects and disconnects fat corporeality and fat studies from ways of theorising other embodied differences, like gender, ‘race’, (...) disability, class and sexuality, especially when thinking through their perceived mutability or removability, and assumptions about their relevance for subjectivity. While it is important to consider corporeality and selfhood as malleable and open to change in order to mobilise oppressive normativities around gendered bodies and selves, we argue that more attention should also be paid to the persistence of corporeality and a feeling of a relatively stable self, and the potential for empowerment in not engaging with or idealising continuous transformation and becoming. Furthermore, we suggest that the concepts of phantom fat and liminal fat can help shed light on some problematic ways in which feminist studies have approached – or not approached – questions of fat corporeality in relation to the politics of health and bodily appearance. Questions of weight, when critically interrogated together with other axes of difference, highlight how experiential and subjugated knowledges, as well as critical inquiry of internal prejudices, must remain of continued key importance to feminist projects. (shrink)

Recent scholarship on sati has stressed the fact that the ‘problem’ of sati is that the problem extends far beyond and begins far before the act itself. One of the things that lies prior to and post the act is language, yet sati is an act that stands in a curious relationship to language. I will examine the relationship between the physical act of sati and the language that surrounds it: the ‘story’ prior to the act which gives the act (...) its meaning; the act itself which stands in an ironic relationship to the story –I will argue that the act is in fact possible only because it displaces the original story, so that every act of becoming sati presents itself not as a radical act in experience, but as an ‘acting out’ of the original story. It is in this acting out of a displaced story, that the boundary between the physical act and language becomes obscured and the body doing the act begins to occupy a liminal position, as it itself begins to function as a language – a language, which in its aspect of an ‘acting out’ obscures its own act. Lastly, I will consider the implications of the symbolic language of sati for the contemporary woman. (shrink)

The discussion on the nature of eros (love as sexual desire) in Plato’s Symposium offers us special insights concerning the potential role played by love in social and political life. While about eros, the dialogue also claims to offer a true image of Socrates, generating a complex puzzle. This article offers a solution to this puzzle by reconstructing and interpreting Plato’s theatrical presentation of his argument, making use of the structure of the plays of Aristophanes, a protagonist in the dialogue. (...) The new image of Socrates, it is argued, signals Plato’s move beyond the way he envisioned so far his master, best visible in his introducing Diotima, a prophetess who takes over the role of guide from Socrates; and by his presenting the truth about Socrates through Alcibiades, cast into the role of a boastful intruder, a central figure in Aristophanes’ comedies. Eros and Socrates are both ‘in-between’ or liminal figures, indicating that Socrates is still entrapped in the crisis of Athenian democracy. The way out, according to the new philosophy of Plato, lies in redirecting eros from the hunting of beautiful objects that are to be possessed, to elevating the soul to the essence of beauty as a primary means for further generating beauty, in particular through engendering and educating children, thus reasserting a harmonious coexistence with the order of the cosmos. (shrink)

If James has a latent tuberculosis infection , he is at risk of developing active tuberculosis disease but he is not yet sick. LTBI is a liminal space between health and illness. Diagnosed with LTBI, James could be conceptualised as having a liminal body. Treatments for LTBI are available, but why would a person seek treatment for a disease he does not yet have? One thing is definite: James needs to be educated about the symptoms and severity of (...) active tuberculosis disease. (shrink)