text:
logicomix
"I am lying to you now."
That's a self-referential statement, and a paradox. ["Paradoxical Truth"]
Russell is about to discover, in the second half of Logicomix— which is itself also self-referential, it tells us in a footnote– the paradoxical trouble self-reference can make for his and Whitehead's Principia Mathematica project of re-establishing mathematics on a foundation of transparently-demonstrated logic.
Simplicity (a la Occam) and "artificial stupidity" are Russell's guides, in this project. A non-mathematician may have difficulty detecting either.
"Turtles all the way down" is easier to grasp: they're standing on no discernible foundation. Perhaps they don't need one, and neither do we? But Russell and Whitehead are not ready to admit that. Wittgenstein seems to be trending that way in his own thought, but he'll need some battlefield seasoning before he's ready to draw out and point at (though not quite say) what is staring him– us– in the face, about doubt and certainty.
The map analogy is key. The Greek tragedian Aeschylus, with his "Oresteia," suggests to Apostolos the reflection that we must beware confusing our maps (be they verbal, mathematical, or logical) with the real terrain we constantly "pass over."
Young Wittgenstein tells Russell (at their first meeting) "we can only know for sure the results of logical operations." Empirical facts don't measure up. Mathematical reality doesn't either: it has no "independent existence."
Much like Hume before him in the British tradition, Russell seems usually capable of closing the door on such inconvenient conclusions and finding reality enough in everyday encounters. He finds "redemption" from the terrors of mortality, for instance, in other-directed compassion and love.
Nearly losing Evelyn Whitehead, and helping Eric Whitehead face the prospect of her death, gave him "a newfound sense of responsibility" and "showed me a way out of my despair." Eric, tragically, would become one of the casualites of the mockingly mislabeled War to end all Wars.
What "immunized" Russell against nationalistic war-mongering? Logic, he claims; sane and (implicitly) skeptical, experientially-derived common sense, I'd say. War taught him to be wary of words. Eventually it would teach Wittgenstein to trust them less, too. His claim to have solved all of philosophy's problems was insistently not a claim to have said it all.
Russell's abhorrence of irrationalism (as exemplified by Dada-ist absurdity) in the wake of the war was mirrored by the mockery he felt in Wittgenstein's seeming reduction of logic to a set of tautologies. There are Nietzschean overtones, too. The absence of order threatened nihilism.
Still, he was a hero to the Vienna Circle despite his self-ascribed "failure"– even if there must "always be unanswered questions." Wittgenstein was sure the Circle misunderstood him about what was "truly important": religion, metaphysics, ethics, personal meaning. Moritz Schlick's tragic end punctuated his point.
Russell's long career was, as he notes, a trip from doubt to certainty and home again, as he woke at last from "Leibniz's dream." Definitely a "cautionary tale" for our time, too. "No royal road to truth," indeed. But the road has to pass through experience, and through what we've already learned about getting around. The trouble with Zeno's paradoxical challenge to the possibility of motion, for example, is that it ignores the two legs (and the road!) Zeno walked in on.
Christos draws the moral of Russell's and Wittgenstein's convergence: "answers to really important questions are to be contemplated 'beyond words'…" Paradox in language just shows that language won't let us say everything. I'm glad about that. As William James said: "what an awful universe it would be if everything could be converted to words words words!"
And, Christos teases us with "our prime hope for peace, democracy, and freedom"– the Internet?!
Has he been reading Bill McKibben, too?
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Last class is a week from today. Essays are due then, as well as your three favorite journal entries. We'll begin final presentations Thursday (or today, if you want to volunteer).
Tags:Alfred North Whitehead, Bertrand Russell, Internet, logicomix, Moritz Schlick, Vienna Circle, Wittgenstein
Posted in Intro to Philosophy | 5 Comments »
lightly, carefully, gracefully
But, realistically? Well… maybe.
Bill McKibben says maybe we can make a decent life on our compromised planet if we live a lot more "lightly, carefully, gracefully" than we've shown any interest in doing. What seems clear, though plenty of our fellow Americans are in denial about this, is that something's gottta give. We can't keep on keeping on, in the profligate and short-visioned way we've been living.
We finish Eaarth today in FoL. Next up, a glimpse at Richard Powers' cautionary tale about the possible future of engineered happiness, in Generosity: An Enhancement.
NOTE TO STUDENTS: No class today. We'll finish discussing McKibben on Wednesday, and begin Powers. Possibly also a final presentation, from the first volunteer.
The industrial food system that's too big to fail is failing. It's not feeding the rising numbers of hungry people, country and city living alike are imperiled by global warming, in Michael Pollan's words we're "eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases." Chalk up half of global warming to present livestock practices and farm subsidies. [Pollan on the politics of food safety…nyt op-ed]
But there's "unambiguously good news" (finally!) on this score: diversified small-scale agriculture works, and "serious people" have begun to notice. "Monomaniacs" like "Soybean King" Kip Cullers may not be our future, after all. Maybe Bangladesh (!) is, with "a hundred species of fruit and vegetable" in a single acre.
But won't serious reductions of energy waste in America be extraordinarily painful? No, it'll be more like "losing weight by cutting your hair." (That's not a promising analogy, for me. But I understand what he's saying.) Turn off the video-game, insulate the water-heater, screw in some better bulbs and the savings will astonish you. That's before you ever even think about your personal windmill and solar panels, or CSE. (Amory Lovins says we can cut oil use by half and electricity by 3/4.)
Okay, but doesn't this future look pretty bleak, boring, dull? Even if, like Bill and me, you love Thoreau and the Waltons? McKibben doesn't deny it. Thank goodness for– SURPRISE!– the Internet.
Yes, thanks to the world wide web you now can engage the world and find real novelty from the comfort and convenience of your very own rural retreat. You can join millions worldwide in Action Days (like 10.10.10) that allow us to believe, for a few hours at least, that the whole world wants the brighter future you dream of. "New ideas blow in, old prejudices blow out." 350.org, begun just a few years ago by McKibben and six Middlebury students, really has accomplished a great deal of consciousness-raising and solidarity-building in a short time. They couldn't have done it without the web.
Eaarth represents the deepest of human failures. But we still must live on the world we've created— lightly, carefully, gracefully.
Then, and only then, will we know ourselves capable of taking the next bold step out into the final frontier. Eaarth, may we hope, will not be our final resting place.
Tags:amory lovins, Bill McKibben, Michael Pollan
Posted in environment, future | Leave a Comment »
"Gratitude is a bridge to your positive future." [Thank Who Very Much…Thank Goodness...Thank Epic Existence]
"If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
That question changed philosopher Robert Solomon's life.
One can take one's life and its advantages for granted, but how much better it is to acknowledge not only those advantages but one's gratitude for them.
…it involves an admission of our vulnerability and our dependence on other people. The Psychology of Gratitude
Solomon collapsed and died of pulmonary hypertension on January 2, 2007 while changing planes at Zurich airport.
Tags:Daniel Dennett, eternal recurrence, gratitude, Loyal Rue, Nietzsche, Robert Solomon, Ronald Aronson, Thanksgiving
Posted in future | Leave a Comment »
backing off
"Sustainable" is a squishy word, says Bill McKibben. It purveys the lie that we can keep on going as we're going, indefinitely. We can't. We have to back off.
Better are words like durable, sturdy, stable, hardy, robust…
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Looks like it's Bring Younger Daughter to Work Day. She's out already for Thanksgiving Break and says she'll accompany me to class today-with an "activity" for you, and maybe cookies too.
4 PM UPDATE: She wants all of you who did not make it to her class today to know: no cookies or cupcakes for you!
Poor Alan Greenspan, the "tiny wizard behind the curtain," unexpectedly bereft of his eternally-expansionist libertarian "belief system." It all goes back to thinking nature can play second fiddle to "society," on McKibben's reading. Last few decades, we're just too big for our britches.
We need to get back the spirit of '76 (or '75?), before American patriotism was indistinguishable from nationalism and exceptionalism… back when it was all about "the defense of the small against the big." Before we were Big Gulping, Super-sizing, planet-hogging, growth-gorging, future-robbing Consumers.
(But what about Madison's "Federalist 10" and the push for strong central government? That was never meant to be permanent, McKibben contends a bit unpersuasively.)
Nobody cares about Mars, that world of wonders? The President does: "we want to leap into the future. We want major breakthroughs, a transformative agenda for NASA."
Admittedly, three decades of benign neglect of deeper space has taken a toll, on that front. People get excited about big projects when opinion leaders lead effectively. Lately the Pythonesque absurdity of large-scale ambitions has been hard to shake, in the absence of a clear-eyed and articulate visionary to tap our idealism. As Jason reminded us the other day, we need another Sagan.
And we need another wave of reason.
What's left after you go is
The good you've left behind
You have to believe in hope
You have to believe in the future
There are more and more people coming around to the point of view that
A positive future for humanity requires human expansion to space
We're at a crossroads today
We either muster the courage to go
Or we risk the possibility of stagnation and decay
If the short-term future is going to be shrunken, a long-term vision will be harder to hold. But times do change. They'll change again. Right?
If cheap energy has fueled our "neighborless lifestyle," and made us less happy, we'd better hope so. The Farmer's Diner ("Think Globally–Act Neighborly" sounds like a great role model for these changing times.
Wendell Berry's "mad farmer," too.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns…
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts…
But… no more "key" national projects anymore? So soon on the heels of civil rights, in a time of vanishing civil liberties, in the fresh echo of "Drill, Baby, Drill"? That really seems premature.
And so does despair. "Far more people take care of each other than take advantage of each other." That's true enough, isn't it? Is it an authentic underpinning of hope? Is the future of "community" bright enough?
Could be. You wouldn't bet, would you, that the next chapter by the author of The Age of Missing Information, on the Internet, will be any brighter? But that's the thing about the future (and it's also my favorite word in English, as it was Joaquin Andujar's): Youneverknow.
We are "the lucky ones." Happy Thanksgiving! Pay it forward…
Tags:Bill McKibben, Mars, Monty Python
Wittgenstein, Russell
Gottlob Frege said philosophy had been putting Descartes before the horse all these years, as it were, by asking what we could know for certain, and how we could know it, without first clarifying the logical nature and status of our knowledge tools. Hence, his focus on the twinned roots of math and logic and his quest for a perspicuous language free of the imprecision of ordinary words. They're ambiguous, their "sense" is sometimes hidden in the minds of speakers. Tighter analysis should lay bare their referential meaning, finally making reality reveal her secrets.
NOTE TO STUDENTS: I know you can't wait to commence your Thanksgiving break, but you don't want to miss class today. We'll catch up on old quizzes, sign up for final presentations, discuss final essays, and begin trying to understand the dominant 20th century movement of "analytic philosophy." And we'll do course evaluations. Many of your midterm essays are ready to return, too.
Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead (who said William James was America's Plato) wanted to "tidy up" math , but were stymied by Cantor's unfinished set theory and Godel's incompleteness theorem.
Whitehead, the "process philosopher" who thought too highly of Platonic, eternal ideals but who made compensatory sense by shifting to talk of events coming into being through patternsinstead of eternal, unchanging objects as most real. Nature itself is continuously creative, novel, imaginative so philosophy should be correspondingly and poetically flexible.
Enter Ludwig Wittgenstein, the Vienna Circle, logical positivism and atomism and logicism… and eventually the resurgence of ordinary language.
Wittgenstein (part I) modestly claimed to have "solved all the problems of philosophy," in his terse and cryptic Tractatus. He was the Joe Friday of philosophy ("Just the facts, M'am"). Every picture tells a story.
Wittgenstein II, to return later (Phil Investigations) in the guise of therapist, is to me the more compelling figure. He apparently materialized while Wittgenstein the temporarily- ex-philosopher was busy doing other things including, to his credit, still philosophizing. [Bio & phil]
"The world is everything that is the case," begins his portentous (pretentious?) Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. On young Wittgenstein's view, our words should aim to picture the world structurally and isomorphically. What we can't faithfully replicate of the world in words or their logical surrogates, we should shut up about. "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." He really thought he'd said it all, that is, all that could be meaningfully said. So he stopped philosophizing in public, for quite some time. But he didn't stop thinking. Wittgenstein II would re-surface years later with the posthumous Philosophical Investigations.
He was not really separated at birth from Lyle Lovett. But my old Vandy Prof Michael Hodges did report that (although he was not from Texas, "that's right") he loved American western films. He may have been a Frank Capra fan, too: his last words, in 1951, were "tell them I've had a wonderful life."
Carnap and the Vienna Circle Positivists said all philosophical problems are really about the syntactical structure of language, not about ultimate meaning or Reason or Truth. They despised Hegel, who was not careful with his syntax at all. Ver-i-fy, they insisted. Fal-si-fy, Karl Popper rejoindered. [Wittgenstein's Poker]
And now we turn to Logicomix, an epic search for truth in the form of a graphic novel. [Skeptic review]
It begins in 1939, with Russell the pacifist speaking before an academic audience in New York and comparing America's prospective participation in WWII to being "your brother's keeper."
The story then leaps back to the previous century, when young Bertie was introduced to the forbidden fruit of books and learning by his famous grandfather Lord John.
Eventually Bertie declares his intent to seek reality through science, logic, and mathematics. The discovery that math is sometimes circular and always reliant on unproven axioms gave him his project, to articulate a transparently self-justifying logical language.
For that he drew inspiration from, of all possible predecessors, Leibniz. The wildly-speculative rationalist metaphysician did indeed possess an impressive mathematical/logical side, which he– unlike Russell– did not consider it necessary always to display.
"We shall not know" would not suffice for Bertie Russell.
Neither would it for the intense young Austrian he'll soon be meeting.
P.S. It's rare to flip on the radio in America and hear an excited conversation about a centuries-dead philosopher, but they were talking about Montaigne– the anti-certainty philosopher– on "On Point" yesterday. His new biographer Sarah Bakewell tells his story in 20 questions. For example:
How to live? A. Don't worry about death; Pay attention; Question everything; Reflect on everything; regret nothing; be ordinary and imperfect; Let life be its own answer
For some of us, that's a good answer to Wittgenstein and Russell too.
Heroes & villains…no man's land…value of phil…Conquest of Happiness…action hero…bday…fresh seed…Opinionator blog
Tags:Bertrand Russell, Montaigne, Wittgenstein
The sea level of Bill McKibben's pessimism is well over flood stage, in today's FoL reading. He promises it will now begin to recede. We'll see. My question remains: can we get through the current quagmire of lowered expectations without sacrificing the driving dream of better days ahead? Can we go ahead and build that long clock?
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Hope you can all make it today, we'll finally finish midterm reports & sign up for finals, we'll catch up on old quizzes, and do course evaluations.
High water is a problem in its own right, as we were reminded in Nashville last May. (Bob Edwards and the Mayor are all over the flood this morning on XM.) It's also very symbolic of what's new and different about our warming planet… and Route 125 near his home in Vermont is a concrete illustration. "You can go to YouTube and see a video– the water washing over the road, tearing out pavement, nearly swallowing up a car…"
"Route 125 doesn't really work anymore. The river it's running next to is getting wider because we now live on a planet where warmer air holds more water vapor and hence we have bigger storms…" Infrastructure is going to be a big, growing, costly problem.
It should be clear, in light of all we've already read, that we're coming to a fork in the road as to future expectations. Are we on the cusp of a bold adventure full of grand global projects? Mars, say?
Will we take small but decisive steps out into the cosmos, or will we renounce them as unaffordable fantasies? Will we place our confidence in technology, especially green technology, to save us from generations of profligacy and plunder? Will carbon-sucking nanobots clean up our mess? Are there techie fixes just waiting to be discovered?
Thinking "with special clarity about the future," Bill McKibben says growth has to stop. Green growth is worth a shot, but the time to really invest in it was three decades ago. We missed that window. Tom Friedman aside, our hot world isn't as flat as he thinks it is.
Oh, we'll impress and amuse and distract ourselves with our Volts and Leafs and even some solar panels (on the White House again) and windmills, but they're not going to "scale" fast enough to turn the tide.
Just ask our friends at Exxon-Mobil for their prognostications and "business sense." They still seem to be in the driver's seat, especially now that BP's taken the fall as Public Enemy #1 in the gulf. There's lots more "disinformation" where that came from.
We've had 10,000 stable years, but the cost of living on this "Eaarth" is not stabilizing. "The wind blows harder; more rain falls; the sea rises."
Green trains might be a solution, but it really matters what you haul in them. China doesn't just ride the rails, though. ["Transportation in China" wiki]
"If you want to keep your Chinese child from having a chest cold that lingers all winter, the easiest thing to do is burn more coal." We're in no position to moralize, though. We're still pretending we can find and burn "clean coal," too.
Does the Pentagon really anticipate a return to war over resources as the global norm? Well, that's the business they're in.
We can all agree with McKibben, can't we, that "we need to dampen our intuitive sense that the future will resemble the past"? But does that have to mean a permanent "uphill" slog? Maybe something wonderful is waiting to happen, as Carl Sagan said.
He read the Club of Rome report in 1972, and spent his last healthy years raising awareness of potential environmental crises, "nuclear winter" and so on. But he also kept his gaze on the far horizon.
"Buddhist economics" have their charm, and even their consolations. So does "collapse porn," honestly. But if our best days aren't just ahead of us, maybe we're just not looking through a big enough telescope.
P.S. Did you see Craig Venter on "60 Minutes" last night? The future of life, he says, depends on our learning to program life's software. He says we can bio-engineer everything. He and his privately-funded colleagues are working on applications in food, medicine, and a clean fuel that eats CO2. "Playing God?" No, he says, just trying to understand the rules of life.
Tags:Bill McKibben, Craig Venter, Eaarth, floods
DK, R.I.P.
They're closing down my old store.
Davis-Kidd Booksellers, founded by independent local owners Karen Davis and Thelma Kidd, opened in Nashville in 1980. That was my first year in town too. So you might just as well tell me they're demolishing the Parthenon or Greer Stadium. (I know, Greer is past its prime. It probably needs to go. I'll miss it when it does.) I've never known this place without it.
I remember my first visit to the original Hillsboro Road location, on a tip from a fellow 1st-year Vandy grad student. I went there after a seminar (probably John Post's Metaphysics seminar) in the Fall of '80.
I worked there, at the first mall location and then at Grace's Plaza in the late '80's and a couple years into the '90s, until it was time to go and teach at East Tennessee State in Johnson City. Started the company softball team. We were awful, and we had a great time. Lost every game, and consoled ourselves afterwards at Dalt's. Every game. Wonderful people, good times.
I came back years later for my own book reading & signing. That was special.
The Grace's Plaza location was special too. Taking "meetings" out in the airy atrium, with espresso and "Mr. Cookie Bars" with Jim & Ricky & Carter & Landy & Maria & Jerry & Erik & Suzanne & Donna (those meetings were real) & so many others… The end was inevitable, in my opinion, when they moved out of there and back into the accursed mall.
There's a nice Nashville Scene story on DK, concluding with the words of another local institution:
"It's a self-inflicted wound," John Seigenthaler says, "and when you lose the linkage that Davis-Kidd had with the customer, there's a disconnect that follows. The less a community reads, the poorer it is. It's amazing how books can be a magnet bringing people together, but without it, we fly apart."
Very sad. I've felt that sentiment about flying apart from old DK friends many times through the years. We need a new magnet.
Tags:Davis-Kidd Booksellers, John Seigenthaler
Posted in autobiography, books & reading | Leave a Comment »
deathly hallow
What's a "deathly hallow"? I don't know, but I think I now know how it feels. I was Older Daughter's (and her friend's) 3 a.m. taxi, after the new Harry Potter premier let out. Going back to bed was probably a mistake.
She was so excited just before midnight, tweeting "Moments away from heading off to the #deathlyhallows premier!! I'm dressed as a Ravenclaw student despite being an avid Gryffindor."
Her 3 a.m. review was a bit mixed. Films based on books almost never live up to expectations, especially when you've read the book multiple times and committed large chunks of it to memory. But those college students I heard sure loved it, and are already mourning the death of childhood the last installment apparently will symbolize for them.
It was a big night for Younger Daughter, too. She and her friend got on stage at the choral concert to sing "Love Song" before a packed auditorium. They were great.
And I'm trying to remind myself: "morning is when I'm awake and there's a dawn in me." Right.
Posted in autobiography | Leave a Comment »
Darwin & friends
"Are we still evolving?" That's the question of the day. Most days lately, the answer would have to be: doesn't seem so. Jerry Coyne, some researchers at Duke, and Time all say yes. But they're not really asking the more important and pointed question: are we evolving culturally? Are we becoming a better, kinder, more peacable and cooperative species? Again, appearances usually suggest not. But it would have been easier to think otherwise a century and a half ago.
The 19th century was a crowded one, probably philosophy's best so far. John Stuart ("of his own free will") Mill is the most famous English utilitarian, but Jeremy Bentham is the one who came up with the "hedonic calculus" for determining the greatest good of the greatest number. (It's not very reliable, unfortunately.) He's under glass, now.
Auguste Comte was a positivist who also preached the "religion of humanity," sometimes aka "secular humanism."
As for Darwin's "friends," you might say that with pals like these he didn't need Intelligent Designers…
Herbert Spencer, for instance, came up with "survival of the fittest" and (according to most mainstream evolutionists) badly misapplied evolutionary ideas to society in general. Social Darwinism is un-Darwinian.
But American philosophy generally has been very friendly to the evolutionary hypothesis, in many ways a direct and favorable response to it. Pragmatism is America's indigenous philosophy – unless we're talking about the thought of its indigenous peoples, of course.
The evolution vs. creation debate had been raging in America even before Darwin published, in 1859. Ernestine Rose, one of many neglected female freethinkers in the 19th century spotlighted by Jennifer Hecht in Doubt, had an answer to those early IDers who were sure that oddities like blind fish somehow attested to divine architecture in nature.
What did she make of the world without a creator? One believer had told her that an eyeless fish living in a cave in Kentucky proved that there was a creator, since this showed design. Rose explained, "He forgot the demonstrable fact that the element of light is indispensable in the formation of the organ of sight, without which it could not be formed… [Hecht on the Scopes Trial… on Darwin…15 answers to creationists…theistic evolution…theistic evol DS1…DS2 Coyne vs. Shermer…Hitch on theistic evol…defining religion…evol & meaning (Galaxy Song)]
James did not think there was any insuperable incompatibility between religion and the new Darwinian science. But for himself, he said,
I believe myself to be (probably) permanently incapable of believing the Christian scheme of vicarious salvation, and wedded to a more continuously evolutionary mode of thought.
Dewey called his version of pragmatism "instrumentalism," and set up an experimental school to try it out. He wrote The Influence of Darwinism on Philosophy (and other essays on this theme).
If all organic adaptations are due simply to constant variation and the elimination of those variations which are harmful in the struggle for existence that is brought about by excessive reproduction, there is no call for a prior intelligent causal force to plan and preordain them…
Philosophy forswears inquiry after absolute origins and absolute finalities in order to explore specific values and the specific conditions that generate them…
a philosophy that humbles its pretensions to the work of projecting hypotheses for the education and conduct of mind, individual and social, is thereby subjected to test by the way in which the ideas it propounds work out in practice. In having modesty forced upon it, philosophy also acquires responsibility.
Harvard's turn-of-the-century philosophy department was a hotbed of pragmatism, but also included the metaphysical idealist Josiah Royce (who was James's office-mate and next-door neighbor in Cambridge, MA) and the Spanish expat George ("those who do not remember the past") Santayana. Lately, Richard Rorty (of Princeton and UVA, among other places) wore the mantle of neo-pragmatist.
Another recent Harvard philosopher, John Rawls, wrote A Theory of Justice. His colleague Bob Nozick came up with the Experience Machine. Their colleague W.V.O. Quine (who I met in one of my professors' kitchen in 1978, btw) said experience is a "web of belief."
James's favorite contemporary philosopher Henri Bergson, a "vitalist," said there's a mysterious "life force" behind everything.
Freud's philosophical credentials are challenged by some, but he expressed a forceful alternative to Cartesian rationalism and said we don't know ourselves or our minds well at all. He liked to ponder the symbolism of cigars, too.
"St. Louis Hegelians." I'm from St. Louis, and the only Hegelians I encountered there were down in Columbia at Michael's Pub. They weren't all that deep, but at least one of them thought he was free.
But again, it was a different story back in the day. Even Dewey was a member of the tribe, though he was no midwesterner.
Finally, for now: at the TPA meeting the other day I attended a talk where an old (but misguided) friend contended that "pluralists can't be pragmatists." That was irritating. I kicked the nearest percept I could find and repeated Dr. Johnson's boast: "I refute you thusly." My foot, or rather my idea of my foot, is still throbbing.
Speaking of evolution: Denis Dutton has interesting thoughts on the evolutionary origin of art, music, and creativity…
More on Nietzsche: Solomon on the Ubermensch and Will to Power…Nihilism & the death of God…Quashing Rumors…]
Tags:American Philosophy, Darwin
Posted in American Philosophy, evolution, intro, Intro to Philosophy | 3 Comments »
eaarth
Bill McKibben's latest book welcomes us to a tough new planet, not the sweet floating blue-white marble oasis the Apollo 8 crew gushed about but a real survivor's nightmare where things may already have moved past the point of no return. He wants us to make a life there.
It may not sound appealing, but living on Eaarth (or Monnde, Tierrre, Errde…) is still better than the alternative.
The End of Nature was a philosophical rumination on what might happen in the future. "Earthrise" was still a relatively recent snapshot of the homeworld, and we still felt incredibly lucky to live there. But we don't live there anymore.
The future is now, and it's too late for idle speculation about what might happen. We've got to deal with what's been happening: all of the planet's large-scale systems, from ice caps and glaciers to oceans and forests and storms and floods et al, are registering an alarming transformation most of us have been content to ignore or even deny.
Yet, we have only fear itself to fear, and fear of engagement. Again, the alternative is unacceptable for our grandchildren… and for us. The ecological life-support systems on which human life depends are beeping ominously. It's not a question of getting back to zero, for at least a millennium.
Changes in surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level are largely irreversible for more than a thousand years after carbon dioxide emissions are stopped.
A thousand years is a long damn time. But we trained ourselves in FoL to think about long damn times, with The Clock of the Long Now. So, how about it? Can we think beyond the millennium, hunker down to meet the present and foreseeable crises of the next few generations, and still preserve the flicker of a long-ticking dream? Does the future still matter?
Some "spooky calm" earth-firsters think the planet will be just fine even if we do ourselves in, Wall-e style. Nope. We're doing a good job of "sabotaging its biology, draining its diversity," and generally making a mockery of the idea of sustainability.
Surviving isn't flourishing, people and planets aren't pine beetles. But they're not really doing just fine, either. It does a species no long-term good to proliferate on a warming planet that can't sustain the mutuality of its other vital interrelationships.
I don't believe in Beetles.
Tags:Bill McKibben
Posted in environment, future | 5 Comments »


text:
Inspirational Singers/Speakers - East Coast Music Association Nominees for 2017 - Gospel Recording of the Year * Anything is possible if you Believe *
Nova Scotia Canada
RyanSistersMusic@gmail.com
The Ryan Sisters have been impressing people with their heartfelt performances for many years. The younger of the two, Lauretta, contracted Guillain Barré Syndrome when she was 20 years old. It's a debilitating disorder that strikes the nervous system. In addition to paralyzing her entire body her weight spiraled down to 75 pounds. She couldn't smile or swallow and family and friends were shocked to see the vibrant singer on a hospital bed hooked to several machines including a feeding tube. Doctors planned on putting Lauretta on a ventilator because she was having difficulty breathing on her own. That would mean having to undergo a surgical procedure known as a tracheotomy. An incision is made in the neck and a tube is inserted to create a new airway allowing her to breath. A negative side effect of a tracheotomy is severe damage to the throat and vocal chords and she would no longer be able to sing.
Lauretta was terrified of losing her singing voice and refused the procedure. Doctors agreed to have a respiratory team check on her frequently rather ventilating her. Lauretta was mentally determined to get better. She did and she made a miraculous recovery and was the fastest recovering Guillain Barré patient at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre. A doctor told her he felt singing saved her life. Her diaphragm was very strong and was the only muscle besides her heart that didn't become paralyzed.
With nothing working in her body except her mind, Lauretta contributes her fast recovery to her faith, positivity, family support, visualizing being completely healed and seeing herself walking across the stage with a microphone in her hand. She also sang to her favorite music for many hours a day which helped to inspire her while keeping her positive during her recovery in the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre. At this point the sisters decided to team up and pursue their dream with their music, as they realized that life is too short to let your dreams pass you by.
The Ryan Sisters were originally a country duo, and were the opening act for Virgin Recording Artists, LEAHY, during their cross country tour promoting their # 1 album. They also sang in multiple East Coast Music Awards 75 Hour Non-Stop Jams captivating the audience with their powerful voices and contagious positive energy. Over the years while performing in Country Music, they were promoted in Country Music News magazine as one of Canada's hot new acts to watch for. They were also featured on the front page of the Life & Times section of the Moncton Times-Transcript newspaper and the front page of Riverview's County Chronicle.
This dynamic duo was chosen to showcase their talent during Canadian Country Music Week and were also chosen to showcase at the East Coast Music Awards 10th Anniversary in Halifax, NS. Anthony Ring, editor of Atlantic Gig, wrote that they were one of the highlights to catch at the ECMA's. They were thrilled to entertain to a full house and be the opening act for BMG Recording Artist and the ECMA Country Artist of the Year, JULIAN AUSTIN.
After taking a break from their music career for a few years, the sisters watched the movie "The Secret" and it changed their lives. The inspiring story of the "Miracle Man" brought Lauretta to tears as she was known as the "Miracle Child" and she had flashbacks of her illness and recovery. The similarities of their paralysis and recovery was overwhelming, as they could both only use their mind to visualize their complete recovery. The sisters instantly became inspired and they picked up a pen and paper and literally within ten minutes, their song "There's A Secret" was born. That was the moment that they realized that their love of music never left their souls and they decided to pursue music once again.
The movie renewed their passion for music and the sisters decided to inspire others with their own lyrics and powerful messages that anything is possible if you believe, and that we all have unlimited power within us to create the life we've always dreamed of! The lyrics for "There's A Secret" soon started to flow and their empowering music began its journey. The Ryan Sisters write soulful lyrics taken from their own life experiences and they want to share their music with the world.
The sisters have opened up for America's #1 Success Coach and best-selling author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series, Jack Canfield, at the Success Symposium in Moncton, NB. They inspired the crowd before Jack took the stage, and he was very impressed with their performance. The sisters felt honoured that he told the audience that they were Chicken Soup for his soul! They also sang at the VIP reception for Dr. Wayne Dyer at his "I Can See Clearly Now" event in Halifax and were the opening act for Oprah's Law of Attraction expert Michael Losier as well. The Ryan Sisters love to give back in their community and they have performed for charities such as "Night of the Arts" fundraiser for the Canadian Transplant Society in Dieppe, NB and for the Breast Cancer Action Nova Scotia fundraiser "Pink Spring". The sisters love inspiring audiences every chance they get with their music!
Maria and Lauretta just completed their full length CD entitled "I Can Breathe" which takes the listeners on an inspiring journey of songs written by the sisters on the power of love, forgiveness and living your best life. As an added bonus, their title track to the album, I Can Breathe, was co-written by Country superstar Johnny Reid and they sing emotional renditions of "Hallelujah", "The Climb" and "Love Can Build A Bridge". Their heartfelt music and powerful voices will touch the hearts and souls of all who listen.
They feel honoured to be nominated this year for an East Coast Music Award for Gospel Recording of the Year being held in Saint John, New Brunswick and they also will be showcasing in the Gospel category as well on Sunday, April 30th at 1:00pm in the Atrium in Market Square.
IMAGINE BELIEVE CREATE RECEIVE
Photographer: Darryl LeBlanc
https://www.facebook.com/RyanSisters
http://reverbnation.com/ryansisters
https://twitter.com/ryan_sisters
To purchase our songs or album, please click on the iTunes link below or email RyanSistersMusic@gmail.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Charles Buddy Lymore, 84, of Howland, passed away peacefully Monday, August 6, 2018 at Select Specialty Hospital in Youngstown. He was born June 18, 1934 in Niles, the son of Geroge E., Sr. and Lucy (Grover) Lymore.
Charles attended Niles McKinley High School, where he had played football, and retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years of honorable service. He belonged to Valley Baptist Church in Niles and enjoyed sports, especially football and baseball, and Westerns.
He is sadly missed by his four children: Shannon Lymore-Brown of Greenbelt, Md., Lori Cross of Vallejo, Calif., Morty Lymore of Washington, D.C, and Sinnie Lymore of Washington, D.C.;.five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Elaine Pennington of Warren and Donna Lymore-Johnson of Woodland Hills, Calif.; and a brother, George E. Lymore, Jr. of Warren.
His parents precede him in death.
Services are 11:00 am Friday, August 10, 2018 at Valley Missionary Baptist Church, 405 Depot Street, Niles, Ohio 44446. Interment will follow at Niles Union Cemetery. Friends may call 10:00 to 11:00 am Friday at the church.


Make the whole family happy with these quick and easy recipes that are perfect for busy weeknights.
Homecooked meals from scratch don't have to be complicated. From Homemade Creamy Mac and Cheese to a Simple Marinara Sauce there's something here you'll have on the table in 30 minutes or less!


TV-Recaps-Reviews: Saturday Cable Ratings - 'College Basketball,' 'House Hunters Renovation,' 'Henry Danger,' 'Good Witch,' 'Black Sails' & More!
Saturday Cable Ratings - 'College Basketball,' 'House Hunters Renovation,' 'Henry Danger,' 'Good Witch,' 'Black Sails' & More!
On March 7, 2015, ESPN's College Basketball was the highest rated show on cable with a 1.52 - followed by HGTV's House Hunters Renovation (0.41), Travel's Ghost Adventures (0.32) and FS1's NASCAR XFinity Series (0.32).
College Basketball was the most viewed program with 4.241 million viewers - followed by Hallmark's Good Witch (2.017), House Hunters Renovation (1.655) and Nickelodeon's Henry Danger (1.653).
No rating information was made immediately available for BBC America's The Musketeers & The Graham Norton Show; Lifetime's Watch Your Back; and Nickelodeon's AwesomenessTV.


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Before Euphoria premiere, Zendaya posts content warning online
Euphoria June 16, 2019
There's a good chance that you will be hearing a lot in relation to Euphoria over the next few weeks, and some of it may be controversial. The teen drama has been the subject of a number of advance headlines because of its described graphic content. There have been comparisons to it and 13 Reasons Why in terms of its severity, and in some ways, Euphoria may be even more extreme.
Here is where things get a little bit challenging when it comes to HBO's promotion of the show. This is a series toplined by Zendaya, who to a certain generation is best known for her work in children's shows KC Undercover and Shake It Up. This is about as far a departure from these shows as you're ever going to see and because of that, the actress is doing what she can in order to make sure that her fans are ready.
Leading up to tonight's premiere at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, here is what she had to say in a post on Instagram:
"Just a reminder before tonight's premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences … It's raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it. Do what's best for you. I will still love you and feel your support. Love, Daya."
It was a kind move for her to say this, and in a lot of ways, the best thing for Euphoria is that it's airing on HBO as opposed to a service in Netflix that is a little more easily accessible to a lot of young viewers. Our feeling is that other than for Game of Thrones, the premium-cable network is not so attached to viewers in their teens or early twenties. They may have to go out of their way a little more in order to find it, which may help viewers to stumble upon it out of curiosity. Our hope is that those who do find it do with a sense of intentionality to it, and they know what they are getting themselves into before they watch.
Euphoria may end up being a wonderfully-crafted work of art, but just remember that everyone has different limitations in terms of the sort of art they are able to digest. This is a show that will bring up traumatic stuff in a lot of people, and there are different outlets out there that could be a better, healthier alternative for some.
We are admittedly quite curious to see how Euphoria ends up performing, mostly because it may be a little too young for most devoted HBO viewers while, at the same time, a little too mature for the standard Zendaya fans. We can't speak to the quality yet, so time will tell.
What are your thoughts on Euphoria heading into tonight's premiere episode? Be sure to sound off now in the comments. (Photo: HBO.)


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KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, has launched the worldwide first one TB-class SSD, 1TB 2.5h SATA II SSD, leads Solid State Drive into the new era of TB. KINGMAX applies unique patented packing technology to implement the 8 Stacked Die technology for 1TB SSD and commits to the greater capacity of the reasonable price, oaths TB-class SSD into the era.
KINGMAX takes the lead in launching 1TB SSD for SSD productsf positive prospect and the popularity of such products do to promote the role that time. Cheng Qian Zhang, Senior Vice President of KINGMAX said: ‡€In additional to consumer application of SSD products, we have a good prospect on industrial application of SSD in the future, such as, POS, ATM, Arcade Game and other customized request, etc. For industrial application, it requires best reliability, compatibility and to withstand harsh environments.h As a leading flash and memory manufacturer, KINGMAX has core technology and strength of SSD, features vertical industrial integration capabilities and innovative cutting-edge patented technology to implement the 8 Stacked Die technology for 1TB SSD with high reliability and compatibility.
All KINGMAX SSD Series products adhere to the RoHS compliance, CE standard and are FCC certified. KINGMAX is proud to say all of its products are subjected to the most stringent quality control; all products go through rigorous testing to ensure the highest quality and satisfaction guarantee to customers.
KINGMAX Group is the worldfs first RAM/memory card module manufacturer that features vertical industrial integration capabilities and solid R&D capability and innovative cutting-edge patented technology. Upholding gQuality comes from perfection in technologyh, KINGMAX insists on and endeavors for continual innovation. Its faith in its unique products ensures they continue to take the world by storm. In addition, all KINGMAX products undergo rigorous testing before delivery to ensure the best quality. Lifetime warranty services are also provided so you can set your mind at rest when buying the products. For more information, visit the official website of KINGMAX: https://www.kingmax.com.


Miyagi and Endgame are popular artists onmodern rep-scene, immediately won the hearts of many young people with their original tracks. The biography of Miyagi and Endshpil is interesting in that, surprisingly, fate brought two young people from Vladikavkaz thousands of kilometers from their home.
It should immediately explain the turnips far from the world, Miyagi and Endshpil are the creative aliases of two young people who have united and began to work together to create and promote their creativity.
Miyagi (real name Azamat Kudzaev) - 26-year-oldguy, originally from Vladikavkaz. From early childhood, the boy showed himself in various fields, including music, and was also fond of martial arts. However, choosing a future profession, Azamat decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents and devote his life to medicine. Mother and father, of course, rejoiced at this choice of his son and saw in him the continuation of his dynasty. However, already in his first year the future musician recorded tracks and soon realized that he still could not live without music. Parents took his decision without special joy, but wisely: they blessed the son to go his own way and become the best in what he will be doing. The first album of Miyagi was released in 2015. By that time, the rapper already had his own music studio in St. Petersburg.
Rapper Endgame (Soslan Burnatsev) was also born inVladikavkaz, but in childhood he was more interested in football than in music. Learn to go to a technologist. Only in his teens did Soslan discover creative abilities. Like Miyagi, the decision to connect his life with music, Endgame took on the first year of the institute. The rapper himself says that a unique style has appeared under the influence of the musical genre of "reggae".
Before meeting Miyagi, Endgame managed to release two albums, then the paths of young and promising performers crossed.
Miyagi and Endgirl's biography is similar in some aspects, but the main unifying factor of these two talented performers has the same views and preferences in music.
The fatal meeting was held in St. Petersburg.Musicians were in absentia familiar with the creativity of each other, so they did not put things off in the long box. Both musicians at that time had experience of performances in their native city in local clubs, so the scenes were not afraid. Cooperating rappers began in 2016, and their first record created the effect of a bomb exploding. In a short time, the album of Miyagi and Endgame "Hajime 2" gathered a large audience of listeners. This record became the starting point in the biography of musicians. It often happens that in a moment the fallen popularity ruins performers, they never get to surpass their first achievement and meet the expectations of the public. But it was not so with these ambitious guys. With each next track they wrote, they argued that they were ready to maintain a high level of expectations and to please their listeners. The result was released soon after the debut album "Hajime 2". And in 2017 the fans were pleased with the release of the third album "Umshakalak".
Miyagi and Endgame are examples of performers,which really started from scratch and only by their own efforts broke the way to the top. The guys did not have money for expensive clips, nor for the promotion of their tracks, so the debut work was simply laid out in social networks and on YouTube. That's where the rappers came first recognition in the form of thousands of likes and downloading tracks.
Biography Miyagi and Endgame was not easy,but the guys overcame all difficulties on their way to success. Thanks to their talent and diligence, they were able to win the hearts of numerous listeners in a short time. Tickets for performers' concerts diverge like hot cakes. At the moment, albums of Miyagi and Endgame are constantly in the top of the charts, and their tracks are heard by the young people today. Guys are negative about music labels, they prefer to develop their creativity without helpers.
About the biography of Miyagi and Endgame actuallynot so much is known. Both musicians do not like to talk about their personal lives, we only know that they are married. Despite their brutal scenic image, in normal life they do not like noisy companies and clubs. Free time from music Miyagi loves to hold a good book. His favorite author is Oscar Wilde. According to the musician, reading for him is not just a hobby, it broadens his horizons, replenishes his vocabulary, which also helps in writing tracks.
A terrible tragedy struck the Miyagi family inSeptember of this year. The musician killed a half-year-old son, having fallen out of the window of the ninth floor. The whole family has now rallied to survive the grief. Fans express condolences and write words of support in social networks. It remains to be hoped that the monstrous accident will not break the talented musician, and he will find the strength to recover from the loss and continue to delight with his work with Endshpil.


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Australasian Plant Society
UK based society promoting the growing of Australian and New Zealand plants. The Australasian Plant Society started more than 20 years ago with a small group of individuals meeting to discuss growing Australian plants in the Northern Hemisphere. After two years, it was decided to start a formal society, and so the Australian Plant Society was formed.
Website: Australasian Plant Society
Postcode: CT4 7BE
Address: 1 Iffin Cottages, Iffin Lane, Canterbury.
British Cactus & Succulent Society
The British Cactus & Succulent Society promotes the study, conservation, propagation and cultivation of cacti. Discover the beauty of cacti and other succulents with the BCSS! Whether you are an expert grower or a novice – or are just thinking of starting up the hobby – the Society will guide you all the way. With over 80 branches throughout the UK meeting monthly you will have the opportunity to meet other enthusiasts and to learn more about growing these amazing plants.
Website: British Cactus & Succulent Society
British Clematis Society
The British Clematis Society (BCS) exists to promote the cultivation and preservation of clematis. In particular, we aim to encourage all gardeners to grow and enjoy clematis – with the emphasis being on enjoy! Find out where you can see clematis or perhaps use the society to help you get the most from your garden plants.
Website: British Clematis Society
British Fuchsia Society
Formed in 1938 with the object of furthering interest in cultivation of the Fuchsia.
Website: British Fuchsia Society
Phone Number: BS20 7HU
Contact Email: admin@thebfs.org.uk
Postcode: BS20 7HU
Address: The British Fuchsia Society 36 Beach Road West , Portishead
Bristol.
British National Carnation Society
The British National Carnation Society promoting the cultivation of all groups of Dianthus including Pinks, Border Carnations and Perpetually Flowering Carnations. The society aims are to encourage endeavours to expand and improve the cultivation of these beautiful flowers and to promote their uses in Gardens.
Beginners and Experts receive encouragement and help in growing for the garden, exhibiting, raising new cultivars and submitting them for trial and awards.
The Society stages displays at a number of the major Flower Shows in Great Britain and it stages four shows of its own, where amateur growers compete for National honours on the show bench.
Website: British National Carnation Society
British Pteridological Society
The British Pteridological Society was founded in the Lake District in 1891 and soon became the focal point for fern enthusiasts throughout the British Isles. Today it continues to provide a wide range of information about ferns, through its website and forum and by publishing regular journals, leaflets and books, and organising formal talks, informal discussions and outdoor meetings. The international membership includes those interested in gardening, natural history and botany, both amateur and professional. It is a friendly society run on a voluntary basis.
The Objects of the Society are to promote all aspects of pteridology by encouraging the appreciation, conservation, cultivation and scientific study of ferns, horsetails, clubmosses and quillworts through publications, meetings, the provision of grants and other appropriate means.
Website: British Pteridological Society
British Streptocarpus Society
If you have discovered the delights of growing streptocarpus, this site is the place for you. With the help of the British Streptocarpus Society, you can expand your collection and knowledge and join the many members who share your enthusiasm.
The Society was formed in September 1999 especially for Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) growers with small, medium or large collections. The current membership is just over 550. We welcome new members with a wide range of growing knowledge and experience. Members range from beginners with a few plants on their windowsills to expert growers with many years of experience. We are happy to help new members to increase their expertise and enjoyment of streptocarpus growing.
Website: British Streptocarpus Society
Carrickfergus Garden Society
The Carrickfergus Garden Society was established in 1955 to encourage amateur gardeners to improve and extend the cultivation of all horticultural subjects. This is achieved by holding meetings, exhibitions, lectures and other events throughout the year.
Website: Carrickfergus Garden Society
The Institute of Horticulture was established in 1984 with the aim of fostering a close relationship between all sectors of professional horticulture throughout the UK and Ireland.
On 21st July 2014 we became Chartered and are now known as the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH). Not only is the granting of the Royal Charter excellent news for our members, but also for horticulture as a whole. This recognition has enhanced the status of horticulture as a profession which demands high level skills and continuing professional development. Chartered status has also strengthened the influence and therefore the voice of the CIH with government and policy makers.
Website: Chartered Institute Of Horticulture
Cornwall Garden Society
Cornwall Garden Society is all about celebrating the unique beauty of Cornish gardens, exchanging tips, ideas and knowledge, meeting up for lectures and garden visits and, of course, making new friends.
Our origins go back to 1832 when the inaugural meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society of Cornwall was held, supported by the patronage of King William IV, who was graciously pleased to place the sum of £10. 10s. 0d (ten guineas), at the Society's disposal. That royal support has continued and today we are very honoured to have HRH Prince Charles as our patron.
We have a packed programme of events throughout the year. In early spring we hold the Cornwall Spring Flower Show, held against the breathtakingly beautiful backdrop of Boconnoc Estate near Lostwithiel.
Find new places to explore!
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TMAA Code of Conduct
From the CEO's Desk
It is difficult to believe that we are now into the final month of 2020 – a year that has been unlike any other and which has required every membership-based organisation to adapt to new ways of engaging with – and delivering for – our members.
Roads Australia is no different in this respect – and our Annual General Meeting in Sydney last Friday was a chance to reflect on an extraordinary 12-month period and look ahead to what we all hope will be better times in 2021.
The RA team and I were determined that RA would emerge from COVID in a strong position; ready to take on the new challenges and build on our strengths.
During the AGM, Michael Bushby was re-elected as RA President for the next 12 months, and we elected our two Vice Presidents – Aneetha de Silva, Managing Director – Government Australia & New Zealand, Aurecon and Scott Olsen, CEO, Fredon.
It is an especially proud moment for RA to welcome Aneetha as our first female Vice President, further underscoring our continuing commitment to building a genuinely diverse and inclusive organisational and industry culture. Aneetha also becomes Chair of our Transport Reform Policy Stream, and will temporarily remain as caretaker Chair of our Customer Experience Policy Stream, where she will be supported by new Deputy ChairChris Jackson.
Prior to the AGM, Craig Laslettadvised he would be standing down from the RA Board and as Chair of our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee. I would like to extend my thanks to Craig for his service and in particular his efforts as the inaugural Chair of our D&I Committee which have been vital to the progress RA has made in this important area, creating a solid foundation on which new D&I Committee ChairClare Gardiner-Barnes will build.
Following the AGM, RA President Michael Bushby provided an overview that included the full membership of the 2021 RA Board.
The AGM also saw the release of the Roads Australia Annual Review 2020, which clearly demonstrates that despite the year's unprecedented events, RA has maintained a high level of activity and policy engagement.
Perhaps most significantly, our net membership has remained steady throughout the year. This is a powerful endorsement of RA's ability to reach, inform and engage on the issues that matter most to this industry, especially when faced with a challenge as difficult and unprecedented as COVID-19.
As CEO, I am enormously proud of the way the RA team has responded to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and exceptionally grateful to the RA Board and members for their continued support and involvement over the past year.
Of course, it's been fantastic to be able to once again catch up with members in some states and territories as travel restrictions have eased for our series of RA Annual Lunches, which have now been held in Canberra, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, – with Darwin, Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne scheduled to follow over the coming two weeks.
RA is also continuing its very busy program of online events for members right up until the end of the year.
Next week will see us host a further International Insights webinar exploring the role of hydrogen in our pubic transport system, a policy webinar on suggested improvements in utilities management and an Emerging Leaders webinar that will focus on re-engaging and developing your organisation's emerging talent post-COVID.
I encourage you to participate in these events as our industry continues to think about the opportunities ahead in 2021.
Stay safe and well.
Michael Kilgariff
Proposals sought for Coomera Connector
Construction companies are being invited to put forward proposals for Stage 1 of the $1.5 billion Coomera Connector, the Gold Coast's largest road project.
The Federal and Queensland Governments have advised the 16km project will be delivered via three separate construction packages to maximise opportunities for local contractors. This will also permit sections of the project to be opened more quickly, as they are completed over the next four years.
Construction on the Coomera Connector is anticipated to begin in mid-2021.
Further details on the full project can be found here.
Infrastructure at forefront of Victorian Budget
A $10 billion investment in transport infrastructure was at the heart of the Victorian State Budget announced last week. Projects supported by the Budget included the new Melbourne Airport Rail Link, the Suburban Rail Loop and Geelong Fast Rai, as well as $450 million for a 'road maintenance blitz' that will support works on suburban and regional roads.
RA also acknowledged the Budget's balanced approach to the development of a sustainable framework for road user charges for electric vehicles (EVs) by providing $25 million to accelerate the adoption of EVs, while also recognising governments have an obligation to maintain a sufficient revenue base to support road infrastructure for the whole community.
Read what RA had to say about the Victorian State Budget here.
NSW steps up roll out of electric buses
The NSW Government will build on its trial of electric buses by adding 50 vehicles to the fleet over the next year. This follows the successful trial of five electric buses in Sydney's inner-west over the past 18 months.
The move comes as part of the NSW Government's objective to transition NSW's state-wide bus fleet of 8,000 vehicles to zero emissions technology by 2030. The first of the new vehicles are expected to be operating on the network in the first quarter of 2021.
View more details here.
EastLink's sustainability credentials win global recognition
The internationally recognised GRESB Infrastructure Assessment has awarded Melbourne's EastLink its top 5 Star rating for the fifth successive year.
In a global context, this places EastLink 27th globally out of the 406 infrastructure assets of all types assessed by GRESB. In the motorways (operations and maintenance) category, EastLink was ranked second in the world for its sustainability performance.
The achievement was confirmed as part of EastLink's Sustainability Report released his week, which you can view here.
The Centre for Pavement Engineering Education (CPEE) has announced that Madeleine McManus OAM will become its new CEO. Previously Director of Industry Engagement with Monash University, Madeleine has extensive, high level experience in the wider engineering sector including infrastructure, roads, construction, transport (multi modal and autonomous), research and professional education, together with experience in building successful and profitable business-related partnerships and organisations. Long serving CPEE CEORay Farrelly OAMis taking on a new role as CPEE Executive Manager: Professional Development, allowing a desired 3 day week engagement from January 2021.
The current Deputy Secretary, Greater Sydney, at Transport for NSW (TfNSW), Elizabeth Mildwater, has been announced as the new Chief Executive of the Greater Sydney Commission, and will commence in the role in January 2021. Prior to joining TfNSW four years ago, Ms Mildwater was Director of Australian Programs for Save the Children Australia, Group General Manager, Victoria for Transurban Group and held legal counsel roles with several energy industry corporations.
The Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) in South Australia has appointed Rebecca Pickering as its new CEO. She was previously the CCF's Director Apprenticeships in SA and comes to the role with significant experience in the construction sector and industry associations, include working with the Master Builders Association.
SmartCrete CRC has announced the appointment of four new directors to it Board to drive its strategic direction and growth – Dr Gunilla Burrowes, Catherine Ferrari, Elizabeth Whitelaw and Peter Williamson. Full details including biographies for the new appointees can be viewed here
Our latest RA Policy Insights piece examining the next steps needed to progress procurement reform is now available, summarising the major issues, ideas and solutions canvassed during our recent policy webinar. The piece provides an overview of each speaker's contribution during the webinar discussion, addressing a comprehensive suite of issues including pipeline visibility, early industry engagement, the benefits of collaborative contracting, inclusive procurement to enhance industry diversity, the importance of industry mentoring opportunities and the need to enhance the industry's skills base in the digital and technology space. You can download your copy here.
Don't forget to register for our upcoming International Insights Webinar next Tuesday 8 December that will examine the application of hydrogen fuel cell technology in our transport system. The session will explore the role hydrogen will play in the electrification of buses – specifically, whether hydrogen fuel cell buses will be embraced in Australia. We will also address the importance of looking beyond just tailpipe emissions and using renewables to generate green hydrogen to achieve low / zero emissions. See more details here.
You can also join us next Wednesday 9 December for an RA Policy Webinar being held in collaboration with Infrastructure NSW (which will also include speakers from Sydney Metro and Transport for NSW) to hear updates on suggested improvements in utilities management on major infrastructure projects in line with the NSW Government's 10 Point Commitment. Further details on that session can be found here.
The NSW Government has welcomed the commencement of trials for motorists on the state's first smart motorway. The M4 Smart Motorway will use ramp signals and overhead gantries to improve traffic flow and provide a smoother and safer experience for motorists that involves less stop-start traffic and sudden braking in congested areas. When fully operational, journey times along the M4 between Penrith and Parramatta are expected to be reduced by up to 15 minutes in the morning peak. The trial runs until 13 December, and if successful, the M4 Smart Motorway will be fully activated in late 2020.
The Victorian Government is expediting the removal of the Union Road level crossing removal in Surrey Hills, along with the nearby level crossing at Mont Albert. The accelerated works form part of the state's post-COVID economic stimulus strategy and will see an average of one level crossing removed every four weeks in 2021.
Still in Victoria, the State Government has also confirmed that as of 1 December, all clearways within 20km of the CBD have become tow-away zones as part of continued efforts to reduce congestion. The change recognises increased pressure on Melbourne's road network over recent weeks, as people are initially more likely to drive than catch public transport as coronavirus restrictions ease.
In Queensland, this week's State Budget confirmed continued investments to progress a number of significant transport infrastructure projects. Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said the next four years would witness completion of the Gympie Bypass, the $480 million Bruce Highway upgrade between Edmonton and Gordonvale and close to $2 billion in upgrades to the M1. Works are also slated to commence on major projects such as the Coomera Connector, continued construction of the Cross River Rail and the further extension of the Gold Coast light rail. See more details here.
In South Australia, the State Government says the final section of its North-South Corridor project will ultimately save freight operators around $8.80 per trip along the 10.5km stretch, as well as helping to reduce congestion and improve safety for all motorists. The Torrens to Darlington (T2D) section will be the SA's biggest infrastructure project to date. It will see a combination of tunnels, lowered and ground-level motorways, as well as overpasses / underpasses at key intersections used to permit motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights when travelling between the River Torrens and Darlington, and reduce travel time by 24 minutes.
This week the National Transport Commission (NTC) released updated Guidelines for trials of automated vehicles in Australia, which will ensure they remain fit for purpose as automated vehicle trials progress across the country. The guidelines, a joint publication of the NTC and Austroads, were first published in 2017. Since then, trials of automated vehicles have taken place in every Australian state and territory. Trialling organisations and governments have found the guidelines a useful tool as they develop trial applications and operate trials.
Research excellence in the roads and transport industry has been recognised and celebrated at the 2020 National Transport Research Awards. The awards ceremony, hosted by the Australian Road Research Board, was held as a virtual event on Thursday, November 19. Awards were presented across in five categories, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. The full event can be viewed online here.
Hatch has announced that RobertsDay has joined its group of companies, combining RobertsDay's front-end spatial planning, urban design and placemaking capability with Hatch's expertise in development strategy, economic analysis, infrastructure master planning, engineering, implementation and program management. "The challenges that our clients face in designing, delivering, and managing urban environments increases in size and complexity every day'" said Hatch's Chairman and CEO John Bianchini. "The integration of Hatch and RobertsDay sets us up to take the lead on these challenges and create positive change for clients and communities worldwide." Hatch has also announced its acquisition of transportation engineering consulting firm LTK.
Redflex has acquired RoadMetric Ltd's brand and intellectual property, including advanced machine vision analytics software and leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The announcement aligns with Redflex's core values of saving lives, saving time and saving the environment, and particularly with the goals of Vision Zero; the global effort to reduce motor vehicle crashes, and ultimately eliminate fatalities altogether. Further details can be seen here.
TSA has confirmed South Australian project management consultancy ProManage is joining its group, TSA Management CEO, Andrew Wilson, said: "TSA is thrilled to have joined forces with ProManage. It's a win for our clients and our staff as we leverage each other's strengths and open up new opportunities. ProManage's knowledge of the South Australian market will be invaluable as we grow together." You can learn more here.
Three previous winners of RA's John Shaw Medal and Ray Fisher Award for Technical Excellence – Max Lay, John Metcalf and Kieran Sharp have combined their experience and insights to author a book on the international history of road pavements, titled 'Paving Our Ways', which has now been published in the UK. The book will appeal to those interested in road paving, and in the history of engineering and transport, and can also serve as a text for courses in engineering history. See further details on the book here.
Don't forget to submit your entry for the 2021 Australian Construction Achievement Award. The Award is the most prestigious award for any professional affiliated with the Australian infrastructure and construction industry. Submitting an entry provides you with the opportunity to showcase the skills and innovation of your organisation or project team. Previous winners are recognised as leading organisations with award winning projects and receive endorsement from the Australian Constructors Association and Engineers Australia. Download an entry form here.
Transport innovation
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has built a proof-of-concept using machine learning technology from Microsoft to identify potentially dangerous traffic intersections and fast-track works to improve safety. The technology analysed telematic data collected from 50 vehicles travelling on Wollongong's roads over a 10-month period. The data was able to be used to identify five previously unknown blackspots, with the two highest risk now scheduled to receive upgrades later this financial year. The innovation builds on other work TfNSW is undertaking to use machine learning technology to predict delays across the public transport network and, more recently, to automatically detect suspicious and violent incidents on CCTV footage from Sydney's trains. You can learn more here.
Diversity and social responsibility
The Roads Australia Emerging Leaders PPP Award provides an individual who shows Promise, Passion and Pursuit the opportunity to engage in a 12-month industry exposure and ambassador experience to fast track their career growth and industry profile. We are proud to announce that the 2020 Emerging Leaders PPP Award Winner is Rezarta Rushitaj, Senior Engineer – Highways Transport, Civil Infrastructure, at AECOM.
Rezarta's strong technical experience is matched by a passion for enhancing our industry's gender and cultural diversity. Coming from a non-English speaking background, Rezarta has drawn on her own experiences to support initiatives that shape a more inclusive industry. This includes serving on Engineers Australia's Women in Engineering Committee, being an ambassador for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency's 'women's work | men's work' campaign, volunteering for Engineers Without Borders and promoting engineering as a career of choice by speaking to school students, presenting at forums and supporting early career professionals through AECOM's Graduate Mentoring Program.
We look forward to the promise, passion and pursuit that Rezarta will bring as an ambassador for RA's Emerging Leaders over the next year and continuing to support a more diverse and inclusive industry.
In our last edition of RA Insider, you read about our 2020 RA Fellows presenting their research projects as part of our End of Year Induction, Presentations and Dinner on 19 November. In 2020, each of our six teams was tasked with developing an implementable plan to address primary intervention for white collar workers to improve mental health in order to improve the health and sustainability of our workforce. You can now view the research projects prepared by all six groups of Fellows, including Group 1 (NSW) who were announced as the winner for 2020.
Don't miss out on your chance to be part of our next RA Emerging Leaders webinar on Thursday 10 December, will take a closer look at the impacts COVID has had on the development and engagement of emerging professionals, without the usual access and exposure they have to senior leaders while in the office. Building Your Profile: Re-engaging and developing your emerging talent post COVID will discuss how leaders can foster young talent while working remotely, and how emerging leaders can continue build their own profile in the new environment. We will be joined by two senior leaders in industry, Scott Nield, General Manager Transportation – Australia, Stantec and Julia Ward, CEO, Ward Civil & Environmental Engineering, who will share their passion and tips for building the leadership capability of their future leaders.
Remember, if you have any D&I success stories or practices that you would like to share with readers of RA Insider, please get in touch with Marlie Curtis.
Upcoming RA events
Dec 7 – (By Invitation) RA Single Table Lunch with Sue Johnson (Brisbane)
Dec 8 – RA International Insights Webinar – hydrogen fuel cell technology. Sponsored by Advisian – Book now
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June 16-18 2021 – RA Transport Summit, Sydney. Bookings now open.
June 17 2021 – John Shaw Dinner, Sydney. Bookings now open.
For any queries on RA events, please contact RA Director Events – Rachael Rooney
Upcoming industry events and training
Dec 7 – Aurecon Future of Transport Webinar – Digital strategy for real-time, user-centric outcomes
© Copyright - Traffic Management Association of Australia
NRSPP Monthly Bulletin – December 2020 – No.75 In memoriam – AfPA life member Graham Blackburn | Australian flexible Pavement...


text:
L'islam est une religion apparue au  sous l'impulsion de son prophète, Mahomet. Une certaine unité est conservée jusqu'au califat abbasside qui voit se morceler l'empire. Cette période peut prendre le nom de « début du monde musulman. » Durant ses premiers siècles, l'islam, en tant que religion, se structure, se développe et met en place certains de ses traits doctrinaux, cultuels et culturels caractéristiques.

Les penseurs musulmans font la distinction entre deux principes, sources d'évolutions religieuses et doctrinales. L'islâh est un regard vers un "islam des origines" et le tajdîd est un renouveau de la foi à l'origine de réformes.

Les caractéristiques de l'islam ne se sont pas toutes figées et ont continué à évoluer dans le temps. Cet article a pour but de présenter ces évolutions et la mise en place de l'islam vers sa forme actuelle après sa mise en place durant ses trois premiers siècles.

Un islam, des islams

Multiplication des courants religieux

Dès le , l'islam se divisent en courants. Deux autres périodes de séparation sont le  et le . Ainsi, naissent au  les trois courants : sunnisme, chiisme et kharidjisme. La branche sunnite (de sunna, « tradition ») est numériquement la plus importante.

Le chiisme est un courant peu présent dans les pouvoirs politiques avant le , hormis le cas du califat ismaélien des Fatimides entre le  et celui des Bouyides entre 932 et 1055. En revanche, en Iran, Ismail  et la dynastie des séfévides font du chiisme la religion d'état en 1502 en opposition au reste du monde arade (mamelouk et ottomans). De nombreux courants sont nés au cours de l'histoire du chiisme : ismaélisme, alouaisme , druze....

Les  sont l'époque de division entre différents courants du sunnisme : le mutazilisme (vision plus rationaliste, rejeté par la population), le hanbalisme (lecture plus rigoriste, conservatrice), et l'acharisme (rejet du rationalisme du mutazilisme). Ces divisions d'interprétation des sources religieuses. n'ont pas mené à une rupture complète et sont davantage perçu comme des écoles juridiques différentes.

La tentation du mysticisme

En islam, la notion de mysticisme est une manière, en appliquant la volonté d'Allah, de créer une rencontre avec lui dès la vie terrestre.

Si plusieurs mystiques ont existé avant, c'est au  que le mysticisme se structure en ce qui prend le noms de soufisme. Dès les premiers temps de l'islam, des hommes vivent une vie ascétique s'inspirant probablement dans leurs pratiques du monachisme chrétien mais défendant leur orthodoxie. Néanmoins, "la mystique n'est pas originelle en islam" et selon Anne-Marie Delcambre, le mysticisme de l'islam vient du zoroastrisme. C'est principalement à partir du  que le soufisme se structure selon le principe des confréries.

Même si les mystiques présentent des sources scripturaires à cette notion, (S. 24 v. 35) (S. 18 v.17-18), le mysticisme est condamné par le sunnisme en raison d'une opposition à l'idée sunnite de loi. Ce courant est critiqué comme étant hétérodoxe par le sunnisme entre autres en raison de l'influence du christianisme sur celui-ci. Néanmoins, cette critiques d'innovation n'est pas tant dans une hétérodoxie mais dans un choix de lecture du Coran et de la Sunna, contraire à la lecture sunnite, et dans une vision plus globalisante de l'islam. Le soufisme a ainsi une vision très littérale du Coran.

Dès les premiers siècles de l'islam, certains soufis ont été persécutés et mis à mort comme Ibn Mansour al Halladj, A'd od-Din Mahmoud Chabestari, ou Abdeslam Ben Mchich Alami.

"La mystique, confrérique ou non, a laissé une trace très profonde dans la culture musulmane." Celle-ci était très présente dans la pensée des peuples musulmans et de leurs élites. Elle a participé ainsi à l'islamisation, parfois violentes de certaines régions. Elle ne diminue qu'à partir du , l'occidentalisation de ces pays et l'évolution "rationnalisante" de l'islam. Le soufisme garde tout de même une importance dans certains pays musulmans mais aussi en Europe.

L'islam face à la philosophie grecque
Né dans un contexte hellénisé, l'islam a reçu dès ses origines des influences hellénistiques. C'est le cas de la philosophie dont le terme arabisé forme faylasûf ("un philosophe"), au pluriel falâsifa. Ce terme reste alors attaché à la philosophie antique à la différence du terme « sagesse » (hikma).

Encouragée par le califat abbasside d'Al Ma'mun à partir du  par la création de la bayt al hikma « Maison de la Sagesse », son développement s'accompagne de traductions d'ouvrages grecs par les chrétiens syriaques et nestoriens. La philosophie islamique n'est pas que la philosophie des musulmans mais aussi d'autres religions, comme les chrétiens et les juifs.

De grands noms de philosophes sont connus : Al-Kindi, d'Al-Fârâbî, d'Ibn Sina (Avicenne), et d'Ibn Rushd (Averroès). Même si ces derniers étaient critiqués par les juristes musulmans. Ainsi, Averroès a vu ses livres brûlés et il a été accusé d'hérésie. L'interdit du doute religieux en islam a limité le développement de la philosophe au détriment des sciences non-théoriques

Ce développement s'est accompagné de modifications de la langue arabe afin de pouvoir exprimer les idées philosophiques.

À partir du , la pensée philosophique musulmane va se disperser dans des mouvements souvent empreints de beaucoup de mysticisme et de moins en moins d'esprit critique rationnel. Par ailleurs, l'analyse et l'exégèse des textes sont désormais figées par la "majorité" ou "le pouvoir politique en place".

Quelques évolutions doctrinales

Djihad
Le Djihad, trouvant son origine dans les origines de l'islam, voit sa doctrine guerrière codifiée au . Ce concept a évolué tout au long de l'histoire musulmane.

Au , les Hamdanides développe, aux frontières de l'empire byzantin, une vision du djihad différente de celles conceptualisées en Espagne ou en Afrique du Nord. Pourtant, les lieux du Jihad restent les zones frontières et la mer Méditerranée. Cette forte prégnance de la notion de djihad en Méditerranée en fera un lieu particulier.

Le renouveau sunnite de la contre-croisade est aussi l'occasion pour des souverains de se lier aux "érudits en armes". À partir de l'époque médiévale, celle de Saladin, cette forme de guerre, si victorieuse, possède un aspect legitimateur du pouvoir. À partir du , on voit apparaître la séparation du monde entre le dar'ul islam (la maison de l'islam) et le dar'ul harb (la maison de la guerre). Cette séparation n'a pas une origine coranique. Pour des raisons d'impossibilité à déclarer une guerre générale et garantir la survie du monde musulman, un entre-deux a alors été inventé, le dar'ul sulh (maison de paix). Cet entre-deux est refusé par de nombreux juristes. Alors obligation individuelle et collective, le djihad offensif évolue vers un djihad intérieur vers les minorités et vers son sens d'effort sur soi-même.

Ce djihad aux frontières acquiert une dimension intra-musulmane avec l'arrivée des Mongols. Ainsi, Ibn Taymiyya (m. 1328) dédouble le djihad entre l'extérieur des territoires musulmans et l'intérieur, ceux convertis en apparence.

La vision d'un djihad conçu comme une guerre défensive est une vision mise en avant à la fin du . Selon Ahmed al-Dawoody, elle remonte à l'antiquité. La plupart des luttes du  (guerres d'indépendance) ne sont pas religieuses.

De manière contemporaine se retrouve l'exaltation d'un djihad offensif par les milieux plus fondamentalistes, qu'il soit vers l'intérieur ou l'extérieur. À la fin du , le djihad, redevient dans les courants fondamentalistes, "une obligation permanente, purificatrice et expiatoire, incombant aux musulmans" même au mépris de principes comme le respect de l'État devenant ainsi une force révolutionnaire. Les évolutions du djihadisme d'Al-Qaida montre une vision eschatologique, rappel du "châtiment divin", du martyre et non plus une simple vision politique. À l'inverse, l'état islamique cherche l'instauration d'une unité politique, le califat.

À l'inverse, d'autres courants de l'islam cherchent à se séparer de cette vision politique du djihad et condamne la violence djihadiste.

Charia
Selon le juriste Yadh Ben Achour, il est inexact de penser que la charia est inerte et immuable. Ce dernier explique qu'elle évolue en fonction des changements de conjonctures diplomatiques et sociologiques, et n'est pas à envisager comme un système contraint à la stagnation, citant de nombreux exemples d'adaptations de la charia.

À la fin du  et au , les rationalistes qui ont développé le mutazilisme opposent la raison à la tradition (charia). Ils ont donc considéré que la théologie et les principes moraux pouvaient être questionnés par la raison humaine. Cette opposition a conduit l'orthodoxie musulmane à rejeter explicitement la raison humaine selon l'interprétation de Rahman. Le mouvement asharite, qui émerge au , tente de faire la synthèse de ces deux positions. Une distinction faite va permettre de distinguer la théologie, qui sera dorénavant appelée « principes de la religion » (usul al-din), et les principes moraux et légaux, désormais connus sous le nom de charia.

C'est à cette époque formative de l'islam qu'apparaissent des divisions sur le sens à donner à la loi islamique. Chez les sunnites, l'ijmâ' (consensus) qui a été déclaré final au  aurait comme motivation, selon Rahman, la volonté d'assurer la permanence et la stabilité de l'islam alors qu'il était en formation et que la religion à cette époque était en proie à des conflits internes et des attaques extérieures.

C'est Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328/661-728) qui proposera la vision des traditionalistes (il est associé au madhhab hanbalite). Sa position cherche à reformuler le concept de charia et à exhorter les valeurs religieuses. Il soutient donc la position que la charia est un concept complet qui inclut la vérité spirituelle des soufis (haqiqa), la vérité rationnelle (aql) des philosophes et des théologiens, et la loi. La charia devient donc, pour les traditionalistes, ce qui rend la loi possible et juste, et qui intègre les aspects spirituels et légaux dans un seul tout religieux. Son influence la plus visible sera le mouvement wahhabite apparu au  en Arabie saoudite.

Depuis le , la plupart des États à majorité musulmane ont créé des systèmes judiciaires séculaires et centralisés, en empruntant plus ou moins largement aux sources européennes existantes. Nathan Brown souligne que le manque d'éléments sur l'application de la charia avant les réformes des systèmes judiciaires ne permet pas de savoir à quel point elle était appliquée dans ces pays auparavant. En Égypte, au cours du , l'exécution des peines hudud se fait moins fréquente, mais les législateurs ne rejettent pas la base qu'est la loi islamique.

Dans le même temps, une réforme des tribunaux islamiques a été menée dans les États musulmans, qui avaient besoin d'exercer un contrôle plus grand sur le pouvoir judiciaire. Cette réforme a été menée en prenant plusieurs types de mesures : la bureaucratisation, la codification et la fusion. Le résultat de ces réformes a été la réduction du sens du mot charia à la loi. Le degré de prévalence de la charia s'évalue par le degré de conformité de la loi en place à la charia. En effet, les partisans de la charia lui donnent un sens strictement légal alors que les partisans de plus de sécularité au sein du monde musulman préfèrent donner un sens plus large au concept de charia.

Dans les années 1960 et 1970, les appels à l'application de la charia deviennent le centre des revendications de mouvements islamistes de toutes origines. La charia, qui n'est plus considérée comme un ensemble de pratiques et d'institutions mais comme un ensemble de lois codifiées, est même devenue l'indicateur par lequel on peut juger du caractère islamique d'une société ou d'un système politique. Aujourd'hui, une doctrine quasi-constitutionnelle vis-à-vis de la charia a émergé, à la fois parmi les juristes et parmi les islamistes.

Lectures et interprétations coraniques
L'historienne Silvia Naef explique que l'apparition de points diacritiques a pu modifier les lectures du Coran et canoniser une interprétation au . L'écriture pleine (diacritique et vocalique) se généralise à partir du  même si pour .

En 934 et en 935, les condamnations d'Ibn Miqsam et d'Ibn Shannabûdh montre la circulation de variantes du coran ne correspondant pas à la version officielle d'Othman

À cette époque, les commentaires sur le Coran sont nombreux comme ceux de Tabari. C'est le début de l'époque classique du Tafsir. Le  est aussi la période durant laquelle naît l'exégèse allégorique du texte coranique. Cette méthode d'exègèse sera importante dans le chiisme et le soufisme.

Pourtant, en 1018, le calife abbasside Al-Qadir publie et fait lire une « profession de foi », la « Risâla al-qâdiriya », limitant l'exégése et prônant le hanbalisme en tant que doctrine officielle. Par celle-ci, il condamne le chiisme, le Mutazilisme ainsi que l'Asharisme. Cette interdiction de l'interprétation a fait débat tout au long de l'histoire.

L'étude comparatives des ouvrages de tafsir permet de mettre en valeur une évolution de la compréhension du texte coranique. Les significations des passages évoluent et les citations changent. La forme traditionnelle des Tafsir est une lecture intégrale et chronologique. À l'époque contemporaine, un goût pour des ouvrages thématique modifie cette forme.

Une certaine rupture dans l'exégèse apparaît au  puisqu'elles sont actuellement des "projections de convictions diverses sur le Livre" et non une recherche historique sur le texte coranique. Elle s'accompagne de la perte de la richesse des sens de compréhension du texte. Celles-ci, dont celle de Sayyid Qutb, ont une influence grande dans le monde musulman.

Évolution des rites

Islam Ottoman à l'âge des réformes
Le  voit l'entrée de l'influence occidentale au Proche-Orient. En réponse, les empires Ottomans et Perse se centralisent et se sécularisent au détriment des chefs religieux.

« Face à l'impérialisme des Puissances européennes modernes, le monde musulman apparaissait impuissant et décadent. ». Au , un passage des connaissances, des technologies et des Lumières de l'Europe vers l'Orient marque ce déclin. Devant ce constat, une réforme religieuse parait nécessaire.

Celle réforme, dite salafiste et plus tardivement wahhabiste, née en Arabie, est appelée par Mohammed ben Abdelwahhab, au . Il prêche ainsi une lecture littéraliste et puritaine de l'islam, s'inscrivant dans la tradition hanbaliste. Celle-ci promeut un retour aux sources de l'islam.

Une des particularités ottomanes est dans le rapport entre État et religion. Selon le politologue Ali Kazancigil, la structure étatique de l'empire ottoman s'inspire davantage de l'empire byzantin que de la tradition musulmane. Cette approche est à l'origine de la figure religieuse du Grand mufti. De même, l'islam ottoman est assez occidentalisé. Tout comme le Coran a des origines juives et chrétiennes, sa théologie est fortement basé sur la philosophie grecque et la pensée judéo-chrétienne.

Ces évolutions s'accompagnent d'une certaine sécularisation, inspirée par l'Europe et qui est diffusé au-delà des frontières de l'empire. Elle est encouragée par une partie de la population et est la cause de tensions. Elle sera davantage marquée à la fin du  lors de la rupture entre le jeunes-Ottomans et les jeunes-Turcs rejetant "les fondements islamiques du monde auquel ils appartiennent".

Islam au
Au , l'islam fait face à différents courants, comme le communisme, ou des systèmes socio-politique nouveaux. Le  est une période d'expansion géographique en Asie et en Afrique. Cette expansion s'accompagne d'une diminution des minorités non musulmanes par conversion, départ/expulsion ou massacre.

Entre nationalisme
Alors que la structure politique inspirée des ottomans acceptait généralement une forme de différenciation entre le religieux et le politique, les années 1970 voient l'apparition d'un nationalisme arabe et musulman. Celui-ci essaye de réislamiser les populations et les structures étatiques.

Ce nationalisme trouve ses racines dans les années 1930 et se retrouve dans les mouvements des Frères musulmans, le mouvement Jama'at-islami, le mouvement Baath, le Hezbollah...

Ces mouvements sont parfois à la fois nationalistes et islamistes.

Et islamisme
L'islamisme est un courant de pensée apparu au  prônant le

L'un des premiers mouvement islamistes pourrait être les Frères musulmans fondé en 1928. Ce groupe prône l'instauration de la loi islamique, charia.

Dans les années 1960, Sayyid Qutb, théoricien des Frères musulmans, théorise la rupture politique avec les systèmes contemporains et la reconquête, entre autres dans son texte  (À l'ombre du Coran), utilisé comme justification théorique de la violence pour réislamiser les sociétés moyen-orientales. La seconde moitié du  voit ainsi le développement d'actes terroristes.

Un renouveau chiite
Dans la seconde moitié du , le chiisme s'est adapté à un nouveau contexte politique. La destitution du shah s'accompagne de la prise de pouvoir par Khomeyni et la mise en place d'un pouvoir religieux. L'évolution doctrinale du chiisme duodécimain a donc dû s'accompagner d'une prise en compte de ce fait politique. Les religieux ont, entre autres, été au cœur des mouvements révolutionnaires

Dans cette évolution, le pouvoir religieux était confié au juriste religieux (faqîh) et non aux Imâms selon la doctrine traditionnelle. Ce changement a été à l'origine de profonds débats.

Notes et références

Histoire de l'islam

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Gabrielle Bell (née le  à Londres) est une autrice de bande dessinée américaine connue pour ses  alternatifs autobiographiques.

Biographie

Œuvres publiées en français
 Quand je serai vieille et autres histoires, Éditions de l'An 2, coll. « Traits féminins », 2005 .
 Cecil et Jordan à New York, Delcourt, coll. « Outsider », 2010 .
 Les Voyeurs, Actes Sud-L'An 2, 2015 .

Distinctions
 2004 : Prix Ignatz du meilleur minicomic pour Lucky
 2007 : Prix Ignatz de la meilleure histoire pour Felix, dans Drawn and Quarterly Showcase vol. 4

Adaptation
Dans le film collectif Tokyo!, sorti en 2008, le segment réalisé par Michel Gondry, intitulé Interior Design, est librement adapté de la bande dessinée Cecil et Jordan à New York ; Gabrielle Bell a coécrit le scénario avec le réalisateur.

Notes et références

Annexes

Bibliographie

Liens externes

Dessinatrice américaine de bande dessinée
Scénariste américaine de bande dessinée
Lauréat du prix Ignatz du meilleur minicomic
Lauréat du prix Ignatz de la meilleure histoire
Naissance en mars 1976
Naissance à Londres