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Analisis Konsep Tuhan Dan Agama Menurut Perspektif Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) Dalam Bukunya Brief Answers to the Big Questions
No full textMetafizik adalah perbincangan falsafah tentang hakikat segala sesuatu atau perkara yang di luar alam fizik. Topik berkaitan Tuhan dan agama didiskusikan dalam ilmu metafizik yang menggunakan keupayaan logik dalam menjawab setiap persoalannya. Pada 2018, buku bertajuk Brief Answers to the Big Questions telah diterbitkan oleh Stephen Hawking pada tahun 2018. Beliau seorang ahli falsafah fizik, kosmologi, dan matematik yang terkenal di Universiti Cambridge. Dalam buku tersebut, beliau menunjukkan pandangannya tentang ketidakwujudan Tuhan, alam semesta tidak diciptakan oleh Tuhan, nasib manusia tidak ditentukan oleh Tuhan, tidak ada kehidupan selepas mati, dan tidak ada syurga dan neraka. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan konsep Tuhan dan agama oleh Hawking dalam bukunya Brief Answers to the Big Questions dan menganalisisnya dalam pandangan Islam. Melalui penggunaan kaedah analisis kandungan tentang konsep Tuhan dan agama dalam bab pertama \u27Adakah Tuhan?\u27, didapati Hawking menggunakan logik dan spekulasinya untuk menyangkal kewujudan Tuhan, kekuasan Tuhan dalam penciptaan, serta kuasa Tuhan di atas setiap kejadian dan perjalanan alam. Konsep agama pula dianggap sebagai ideologi yang dianut oleh orang yang tidak memahami sains dan jahil tentang kedudukan tertinggi sains dalam menjelaskan segala fenomena yang berlaku di alam ini. Oleh itu, boleh dikatakan bahawa Hawking adalah seorang ateis, yang percaya kepada naturalisme saintifik. Beliau hanya memilih bukti empirikal dan rasional yang berkaitan dengan agama dan Tuhan, sedangkan Islam mengajarkan integrasi ilmu Naqli dan Aqli sebagai ajaran epistemologinya
Anti-Colonial History: Pulau Pinang from the Point of View of Local Historian and Writer
Get PDFHistory of Southeast Asia has been heavily influenced by the colonial writing. The colonial historiography always favoured the Euro-centric view of history and often omitted the contribution of the native people. This paper attempted to analyzed Southeast Asian historiography and look into the birth of a new stream of history, the anti-colonial history. The anti-colonial historiography aimed to redress the various omissions of the colonial narratives. By using Pulau Pinang as a case study, this paper will challenge the colonial narrative that Francis Light was the founder of the island. The paper will analyzed the narrative and portrayal of the establishment of Pulau Pinang by colonial writer and later historian. Then, by using a much more recent study made by historian such as Mahani Musa and Ahmad Murad Merican, this paper will argue that the establishment of the island should be attributed to a much more earlier native population. Evidence will be provided to establish the presence of Malay population pre-1786. Among the notable early Malay leaders in Pulau Pinang such as Nakhoda Intan and Datok Janatun were then identified. By centering the native in the historiography, this paper argued that a much more honest and accurate portrayal of the past can be achieved.
Keywords: Post-Colonial Study, Anti-Colonial History, Southeast Asia, Pulau Pinan
Isu Penjarahan dan Perdagangan Warisan Kebudayaan Bawah Air di Semenanjung Malaysia (1980-2015)
Get PDFArtikel ini mengupas tentang isu penjarahan dan perdagangan warisan kebudayaan bawah air di Semenanjung Malaysia dari tahun 1980 sehingga 2005. Sejak tahun 1983 setelah berlakunya insiden penjarahan tapak WKBA Risdam, Malaysia telah giat melaksanakan pelbagai kaedah penyelidikan (ekskavasi dan salvaj komersial) melindungi tapak WKBA di Semenanjung Malaysia. Namun sehingga tahun 2015, kekurangan mekanisme perundangan dan isu keterbatasan sumber yang dihadapi telah menyebabkan Malaysia berdepan dengan isu penjarahan tapak WKBA dan perdagangan artifak WKBA. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kaedah sejarah dan pengajian warisan dalam menjelaskan isu penjarahan WKBA dan perdagangan WKBA dari tempoh 1980 sehingga 2015. Tempoh masa ini diperincikan kepada dua fasa penting iaitu Fasa 1: Jabatan Muzium dan Antikuiti (1980-2005) dan Fasa 2: Jabatan Warisan Negara (2005-2015). Kajian mendapati bahawa terdapat sembilan kes penjarahan yang telah direkodkan. Kes penjarahan ini dapat dibahagikan kepada dua iaitu penjarahan tapak berskala besar yang didalangi oleh warga asing dan penjarahan tapak berskala kecil yang dilakukan oleh nelayan tempatan dan pelancong selam skuba. Implikasinya pelbagai artifak WKBA telah dijual di pasaran antik secara sah atau sebaliknya. Hal ini berlaku disebabkan oleh kelemahan dari sudut kawalan penguatkuasaan perairan dan ketersediaan pasaran antik yang menjanjikan keuntungan mudah. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa aspek utama yang mendorong kepada trend penjarahan dan seterusnya perdagangan WKBA adalah kekurangan mekanisme perundangan warisan dan isu keterbatasan sumber yang dihadapi oleh kerajaan dan institusi penyelidikan di Malaysia. Diharap kajian ini dapat memberikan satu pendedahan berkaitan isu penjarahan tapak WKBA dan isu perdagangan artifak WKBA di Semenanjung Malaysia.
Kata kunci: penjarahan; perdagangan WKBA; Warisan Kebudayaan Bawah Ai
Corporate Governance in Listed Firms: Does Market Competition Make a Difference?
Get PDFThis study assesses the relationship between market competition and corporate governance by analysing 562 non-financial companies listed on the Vietnamese stock market from 2010 to 2019. We used the quantitative method through oridinary least squares (OLS) robust and feasible generalised least squares (FGLS) regression to control heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation, which is suitable with panel data to test the above relationship. According to the research results, market competition has complementary and alternative effects on corporate governance, as reflected in the positive and negative effects of the variable Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), a proxy for market competition, on corporate governance. Market competition has a support impact on corporate governance, which is more evident in board size, CEO duality, and CEO ownership. In contrast, the impact of market competition substituted corporate governance and reduced the role of corporate governance, as demonstrated by the independent board members. As a result, our study provides an extended understanding of the factors affecting corporate governance, primarily based on contingency theory. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for further research in this field and identifies a number of potential solutions for investors and regulators
A Journey Through Islamic Art Exhibition: Purification of Form, Ineradicable in Content
Get PDFThroughout the years, the manifestations of Islamic art from east and west have been diverse in the formalistic aspects but united in its spiritual essence. The wide range of ornamental motifs, stylisation, placement, material, and context is constantly changing according to the current trend of the period, reflecting the historical, social-cultural and economic background it was produced. This ensues that change is inevitably bound to happen, where traditional approach in Islamic art might not be suitable to implement in the modern society due to the unavailability of precious materials and patronage as before. Despite the challenge, the “Islamic” identity in their artworks is still being discretely preserved in their expression despite implementing and combining new techniques, styles, forms, and materials with traditional approaches. This creates an asymmetrical balance that embraces change while maintaining the Islamic principle, philosophy, and spiritual allure in their artistic production where the artists design their art to be parallel and in context with modernity. However, the Islamic identity in contemporary artworks is difficult to identify and challenging to decipher as the visual expression differs significantly from traditional art forms that people are accustomed to, making it vaguely recognised and understood. This constant and dynamic flux of tolerance and acculturation is something that is being visually exhibited by the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) in their special curation “A Journey Through Islamic Art” that showcases traditional and contemporary form of Islamic art in the same place. Although the curation is impressive, but the visual tension it creates invokes the mind to think deeply about what makes an Islamic art “Islamic” and what is the suitable approach to appropriately fathom and consider the art piece as a work of “Islamic art” as the physical form of calligraphy alone is not sufficient for it to be considered as “Islamic.
Corporate Social Responsibility Practices, Corporate Sustainable Development, Venture Capital and Corporate Governance: Evidence from Chinese Public Listed Firms
Get PDFThis study intends to investigate the relationship between the different corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of firms and their corporate sustainable development (CSD) as well as whether venture capital (VC) and corporate governance (CG) moderate this relationship and capital allocation efficiency (CAE) mediates the relationship. The sample of this study consist of Chinese A-share public-listed firms as well as the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) listed firms in China. The duration covered is from 2013 to 2020. There are significant positive relationships between CSR and CSD among Chinese A-shares listed firms and GEM listed firms. In addition, there is a significant positive moderating effect of CG and no significant moderating effect of VC on the relationship between CSR and CSD among Chinese A-shares listed firms. However, for GEM listed firms, there is no significant moderating effect of both VC and CG on the relationship between CSR and CSD. Finally, there is a significant positive mediating effect of CAE on the relationship between CSR and CSD among Chinese A-shares listed firms and GEM listed firms
The Effects of Agency Problems and Dividend Policy on the Asymmetric Behaviour of Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: Does Ownership Structure Matter?
Get PDFThis article investigates the effects of agency problems and dividend policy on the asymmetric behaviour of Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expenses, with an emphasis on Korean business ownership structures. Employing a robust dataset of 4,279 observations from the Korean Composite Stock Price Index from 2011 to 2021, our empirical investigation combined multiple regression models such as OLS, fixed effects, random effects and the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) to contain endogeneity problems. The research objectives include the examination of the relationship between SG&A cost asymmetry and agency problems, the impact of dividend policy on SG&A costs, and the intervening function of Korean business ownership structures, particularly Chaebols. Unexpectedly, the results reveal that higher free cash flow is linked to lower SG&A cost asymmetry, suggesting that agency concerns can be mitigated in such corporations. Improved asset utilisation increases cost asymmetry, whereas larger operating expenses reduce asymmetry. Furthermore, higher cash dividends and payout ratios are associated with reduced SG&A cost asymmetry, which contradicts the premise that dividend constraints correlate with a higher degree of cost asymmetry. According to ownership structure analysis, Chaebols\u27 concentrated ownership results in stronger control over cash flow, eliminating cost asymmetry more efficiently than in non-Chaebol firms. These findings add to the literature on agency theory, cost behaviour, and corporate governance, providing managers and shareholders with beneficial insights. To promote business sustainability, improved handling of agency concerns and cost efficiency, this study recommends tailored corporate governance policies that takes ownership structures into account
Revelation of Empire: The Maxwells and Their Study of Malay Customs
Get PDFThis essay aims to revisit and evaluate the authoritarian British imperial policy and conduct in Northern Perak and Kedah, especially those involving the official duties and the daily interactions of the first Supreme Court Judge of the Straits Settlements and British Adviser to Kedah, namely Sir Peter Benson Maxwell and Sir George William Maxwell respectively. However, despite desires to establish the supremacy of western culture and civilisation, the Maxwells appreciated and valued the Malays and their customs in Perak and Kedah. Hence they aimed at diminishing prejudice to foster togetherness and bring justice to the northern Malays. Information provided by Sir P. B. Maxwell in Our Malay Conquests (1878) and G. W. Maxwell\u27s In Malay Forests (1907) depicted their "accounts of personal incidents" that help readers understand the Maxwells\u27 political and personal views of the Malays and their fascinating customs reflective of their writings. The Maxwells therefore ridicule the irony of British\u27s "love for justice," orient-occident dichotomy and injustice done to these oriental and their long-established adat (customs) that is loosely translated as culture
Awareness of Discourse Features in Teaching Writing Skills
Get PDFCohesion is deemed an indispensable component of writing, contributing to both the organisation of texts as well as the reader’s comprehension of the content. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the utilisation of discourse features in the academic writing of students. It specifically focuses on the cohesive devices employed by students and their level of awareness regarding cohesion and coherence. The research was conducted in the Dhanbad district, with a particular emphasis on technical students studying English for specific purposes. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic, this study also reviewed and analysed previous research that explored the usage of cohesive devices and the relationship between cohesion frequency and high-quality writing. This background research provided valuable insights into the existing body of knowledge and helped establish a foundation for the present study. The data analysis demonstrates that students possess the ability to incorporate various cohesive devices into their writing, indicating their awareness of discourse features. However, their usage is somewhat limited due to a restricted repertoire of discourse markers, which affected the range and diversity of cohesive devices employed in their writing. Overall, the paper sheds light on the significance of cohesion in academic writing, emphasising its role in organising texts and facilitating reader comprehension. It highlights the current state of students’ awareness and usage of cohesive devices in their writing, providing valuable insights for educators and curriculum developers to enhance students’ proficiency in this area
Gender Differences in Language Use in Talks at Google
Get PDFThis study examines the linguistic features utilised by male and female native English speakers during their Talks at Google using Lakoff and Lakoff’s framework of women’s language. The analysis is conducted on a sample of 14 videos, consisting of seven for each gender, using a mixed-method approach. The quantitative analysis presents the frequencies of the utterances used by the speakers, while the qualitative analysis identifies the language forms employed by each gender. The findings reveal that both genders employed the linguistic features suggested by Lakoff in their talks. Contrary to Lakoff and Lakoff’s assumptions, the female speakers utilised fewer linguistic features, accounting for only 47.43% of the features present in the corpus. Specifically, female speakers used intensifiers, tag questions and humour more frequently than male speakers, while male speakers employed empty adjectives, hedges, hypercorrect grammar and super polite forms more often than female speakers. The results provide insights into the language usage patterns of each gender and allude to possible changes in women’s use of linguistic patterns