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Archimedes:Knowledge and Lore from Latin Antiquity to the Outgoing European Renaissance
Full text linkWith Apuleius and Augustine as the only partial exceptions, Latin Antiquitydid not know Archimedes as a mathematician but only as an ingenious engineerand astronomer, serving his city and killed by fatal distraction when in theend it was taken by ruse. The Latin Middle Ages forgot even much of that, andwhen Archimedean mathematics was translated in the 12th and 13th centuries,almost no integration with the traditional image of the person took place.Petrarca knew the civically useful engineer and the astrologer (!); no otherfourteenth-century Humanist seems to know about Archimedes in any role. Inthe 15th century, however, “higher artisans” with Humanist connections oreducation took interest in Archimedes the technician and started identifyingwith him. In mid-century, a new translation of most works from the Greek wasmade by Jacopo Cremonensis, and Regiomontanus and a few othermathematicians began resurrecting the image of the geometer, yet withoutemulating him in their own work.Giorgio Valla’s posthumous De expetendis et fugiendis rebus from 1501 marks awatershed. Valla drew knowledge of the person as well as his works fromProclus and Pappus, thus integrating the two. Over the century, a number ofeditions also appeared, the editio princeps in 1544, and mathematical workfollowing in the footsteps of Archimedes was made by Maurolico,Commandino and others.The Northern Renaissance only discovered Archimedes in the 1530s, and forlong only superficially. The first to express a (purely ideological) highappreciation was Ramus in 1569, and the first to make creative use of hismathematics was Viète in the 1590s.With Apuleius and Augustine as the only partial exceptions, Latin Antiquitydid not know Archimedes as a mathematician but only as an ingenious engineerand astronomer, serving his city and killed by fatal distraction when in theend it was taken by ruse. The Latin Middle Ages forgot even much of that, andwhen Archimedean mathematics was translated in the 12th and 13th centuries,almost no integration with the traditional image of the person took place.Petrarca knew the civically useful engineer and the astrologer (!); no otherfourteenth-century Humanist seems to know about Archimedes in any role. Inthe 15th century, however, “higher artisans” with Humanist connections oreducation took interest in Archimedes the technician and started identifyingwith him. In mid-century, a new translation of most works from the Greek wasmade by Jacopo Cremonensis, and Regiomontanus and a few othermathematicians began resurrecting the image of the geometer, yet withoutemulating him in their own work.Giorgio Valla’s posthumous De expetendis et fugiendis rebus from 1501 marks awatershed. Valla drew knowledge of the person as well as his works fromProclus and Pappus, thus integrating the two. Over the century, a number ofeditions also appeared, the editio princeps in 1544, and mathematical workfollowing in the footsteps of Archimedes was made by Maurolico,Commandino and others.The Northern Renaissance only discovered Archimedes in the 1530s, and forlong only superficially. The first to express a (purely ideological) highappreciation was Ramus in 1569, and the first to make creative use of hismathematics was Viète in the 1590s
Social class and child mortality in late nineteenth century Copenhagen
No full textDenne artikel undersøger forholdet mellem socialklasse og børnedødelighed i København i slutningen af 1800-tallet. Faldet i børnedødeligheden, og især hos spædbørn, er en primær årsag til, at den gennemsnitlige forventede levealder ved fødslen er fordoblet i løbet af de sidste 200 år. I forsøget på at forstå årsagerne har der i det internationale historisk-demografiske miljø været et stort fokus på social ulighed, da denne kan bruges som proxy til at repræsentere mange af de svært målbare faktorer, som ligger bag faldet i dødeligheden: ernæring, boligforhold, hygiejniske regimer, sygepleje mv. I Danmark bygger vores viden om historiske klasseforskelle i dødelighed dog stadig på studier foretaget sidst i 1800-tallet. Mens disse tit havde solide mål for spædbørnsdødeligheden, havde de svært ved estimere større børns risiko for at dø. Denne artikel forsøger at kaste nyt lys over emnet ved at tage udgangspunkt i en kohorte på 43.590 børn fra folketællingen 1. februar 1885. Deres dødelighed følges ved at sammenkoble folketællingen med Københavns begravelsesprotokoller: De, som kan identificeres blandt begravelserne, er døde, og resten antages at have overlevet til og med 31. januar 1886. I folketællingen er børnenes forsøger identificeret, og dennes erhverv er klassificeret gennem de af Theodor Sørensen definerede socialklasser fra 1883. I analysen sammenlignes arbejderklassen med en kombineret middel- og overklasse, da sidstnævnte indeholder meget få børn. Analysen viser, at børn i de lavere sociale klasser havde en markant højere risiko for at dø sammenlignet med deres jævnaldrende i middel- og overklassen. Forskellen i dødelighed var cirka 20 % højere for spædbørn og 30 % for større børn. Denne forskel var kønsspecifik: Piger fra arbejderklassen havde en 35 % til 50 % højere risiko for at dø end deres jævnaldrende i middel- og overklassen, mens forskellen hos drenge var noget mindre, omkring 10 %. Derudover spillede geografi også en rolle: Klasseforskellene var mindre tydelige bag voldene end i de nyudviklede områder på voldterrænet og i brokvartererne
The affective politics of reactionary futurism in Silicon Valley
No full textThis interventionist essay examines the affective politics of an ideology I term ‘reactionary futurism’ in Silicon Valley. The focus is on the emergence of this reactionary ideology among figures such as Marc Andreessen, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin, and Nick Land. It argues that this affective ideology consists of three key components. First, it rejects the state, aiming to replace it with the corporation-as-state, where transactions, rather than democratic participation, govern. Second, it denounces democracy as an alienated ‘other’ – an unwanted remnant of progressivism and the reckless optimism of the Enlightenment. Reactionary futurism posits that humans should not only be rescued from acute harms but also liberated from the perceived failures of democracy and regulation. Finally, it asserts that reactionary futurism can only be realised by creating a depoliticised techno-capitalist utopia – one that transcends politics by colonising new frontiers through start-up-driven monarchist models. Ultimately, the essay demonstrates that the affective politics of Silicon Valley futurism extend beyond economic interests, fuelled by a deep resistance to democracy and a fear of losing control. Reactionary futurism is both strategic and affective, affirming autonomy and power while entrenching class stratification, where the market reigns supreme and the corporation sets the rules
Party political campaigning and the illegal extraction of gold in Ghana
No full textThis article explores the relationships between party political campaigning and illegal small-scale mining in Ghana, with the aim of contributing to and advancing an extensive debate about the formalization of artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASM) in Sub-Saharan Africa. ASM in Ghana remains overwhelmingly informal and illegal (a phenomenon known locally as galamsey) and is typically practised with the knowledge and tacit support of diverse state actors. This article shows that rents from illegal gold mining and political elites’ increasing dependence on galamsey-dominated constituencies for votes are key reasons for the failure of ASM reforms and formalization efforts. The dynamic is compounded by Ghana's electoral geography, where many illegal gold miners are concentrated in politically competitive, mineral-rich constituencies. State-led military raids on galamsey sites that are supposed to root out illegality and pursue ASM formalization have failed to achieve such objectives and have instead facilitated the capture of illegal mining rents for ruling party elites and supporters. The article contributes critically to the literature on ASM and its formalization by shifting the focus away from technocratic and administrative barriers to highlight the political settlement that enables illegality to persist. We conclude that the illegal extraction of gold is not external to Ghana's formal democracy but is an essential part of it
Structural studies of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded vinylogous thiocarboxamides. NMR and isotope experiments and a DFT theoretical study
No full textThis study examines the structural properties of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded vinylogous thiocarboxamides through NMR spectroscopy, isotope effects on chemical shifts, atoms-in-molecules (AIM), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The functionals ωB97XD, M062X, CAM-B3LYP, and B3LYP using the (6–311++G) (d,p) basis set were used for the DFT calculations. This study characterized three tautomers of vinylogous thiocarboxamide derivatives, with the enaminothione tautomer having the highest stability. The AIM analysis demonstrated that the hydrogen bonds in these systems exhibit moderate strength. This study also revealed correlations between the strengths of hydrogen bonds and different geometric parameters, providing a novel understanding of the physicochemical features of these systems. The combination of computational models and experimental data yields a thorough comprehension of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in vinylogous thiocarboxamide derivatives, hence offering insights for future chemical synthesis and functionalization approaches
Actor-centered power and forest governance:Can a conceptual framework help us understand the conflict in managing national parks in Vietnam?
No full textForests are often a battleground between officials and local people. Management of national parks (NPs) in Vietnam demonstrates this struggle well. Based on the Actor-Centered Power (ACP) concept, this study uses power mechanisms, namely coercion, incentives, and information to illustrate how park administration expanded its control of local people and forest resources. Establishing NPs in northern (Lao Cai) and central (Đak Lắk) Vietnam led to a surge in tensions between park staff and local people concerning their constrained access to forest resources. Meanwhile, deforestation and biodiversity loss continued to happen inside the NPs since the forest management officers benefited from the new control of natural resources. The breakdown of power mechanisms allowed for a description and analysis of the use of power and local people’s reactions. In future studies using the ACP approach, the outcome of the power struggles in forest areas is crucial, and the inclusion of a third party in the analysis is recommended.Forests are often a battleground between officials and local people. Management of national parks (NPs) in Vietnam demonstrates this struggle well. Based on the Actor-Centered Power (ACP) concept, this study uses power mechanisms, namely coercion, incentives, and information to illustrate how park administration expanded its control of local people and forest resources. Establishing NPs in northern (Lào Cai) and central (Đắk Lắk) Vietnam led to a surge in tensions between park staff and local people concerning their constrained access to forest resources. Meanwhile, deforestation and biodiversity loss continued to happen inside the NPs since the forest management officers benefited from the new control of natural resources. The breakdown of power mechanisms allowed for a description and analysis of the use of power and local people's reactions. In future studies using the ACP approach, the outcome of the power struggles in forest areas is crucial, and the inclusion of a third party in the analysis is recommended.</p
How Can Law Be Robust in the Face of Heightened Societal Turbulence?
No full textTaking its cue from the growing frequency of disruptive crises, new research argues that crisis-induced turbulence calls for robust governance based on adaptation and innovation. While law plays a key role in the effort of governments to govern robustly, the robustness of law has received scant regard. To compensate for this gap, this article defines robust legality, analyzes its conditions of emergence, reflects on the different forms it might take, and considers the prospects for advancing robust legal regulation. Studying legal robustness enables public management researchers and practitioners to better understand the role of law in times of heightened societal turbulence
Review of microplastics and chemical risk posed by plastic packaging on the marine environment to inform the Global Plastics Treaty
No full textPlastic overproduction and the resulting increase in consumption has made plastic pollution ubiquitous in all ecosystems. Recognizing this, the United Nations (UN) has started negotiations to establish a global treaty to end plastic pollution, especially in the marine environment. The basis of the treaty has been formulated in terms of turning off the tap, signaling the will to prevent plastic pollution at its source. Based on the distribution of plastic production by sector, the plastic packaging sector consumes the most plastic. The volume and variety of chemicals used in plastic packaging, most of which is single-use, is a major concern. Single-use plastics including packaging is one of the most dominant sources of plastic pollution. Plastic waste causes pollution in water, air and soil by releasing harmful chemicals into the environment and can also lead to exposure through contamination of food with micro- and nano-plastic particles and chemicals through packaging. Marine life and humans alike face risks from plastic uptake through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. While the contribution of plastics ingested to chemical pollution is relatively minor in comparison to other pathways of exposure, the effect of plastic waste on marine life and human consumption of seafood is beyond question. To reduce the long-term impact of plastic, it is crucial to establish a global legally binding instrument to ensure the implementation of upstream rather than downstream solutions. This will help to mitigate the impact of both chemicals and microplastics, including from packaging, on the environment
Green and sustainable?:Unmaking the Anglocentrism of global environmental discourse
No full textThis chapter provides an analysis of “the new green language” which has emerged in the era of climate destruction and global warming. It is argued that the keywords of the new green language are Anglocentric in nature, and at the same time, somewhat paradoxically, steeped in anti-language ideologies. This chapter asks whether the new green language is exercising a form of discursive and conceptual colonialism and provides in-depth analysis of the words “green” and “sustainable”. Drawing on research in environmental semantics and postcolonial semantics, this chapter proposes a “linguistics for the earth” which is prepared to unthink and unmake the centrisms of global discourse, and at the same time provides an aspirational and hopeful framework for the study of words and the world
Mediatization of the Danish Central Government
No full textThe impact of mediatization on bureaucracy is attracting increasing scholarly attention. While existing studies show how media logic influences central government performance, less is known about how it affects the norms and everyday practices of civil servants. This article presents a qualitative study of mediatization in the Danish central government, based on 20 in-depth interviews with civil servants in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance. Drawing on an interpretive approach, the study conceptualizes mediatization as an institutional logic that interacts with existing bureaucratic norms such as neutrality and expertise. The findings reveal that media logic not only demands communication skills but also penetrates the internal culture of the civil service. The effects of mediatization vary depending on the policy field, the impact of social media, and the deliberate strategies civil servants employ to manage media exposure. Both ministries exhibit mediatization, but the Ministry of Health experiences greater personalization, which influences both administrative practices and media strategies. The study also incorporates the role of social media, questioning whether mediatization should still be equated with traditional news logic or understood through the lens of social media logic. By highlighting differences in media strategies, policy field dynamics, and the evolving media landscape, the article contributes to a broader theoretical understanding of bureaucratic mediatization. While grounded in the Danish case, the findings offer insights relevant to meritocratic bureaucracies more generally, with implications for democratic governance and institutional trust