3,309 research outputs found
An Interview with Matthew Kaiser on Competition and Play
No full textAn Interview with Matthew Kaiser on Competition and Play, by Sean Scanlan. Matthew Kaiser, the author of The World in Play: Portraits of a Victorian Concept (Stanford UP, 2012) says that “[c]ompetition is the disease from which modern life suffers,” and that “[c]ompetition is the only cure” for this suffering. This contradictory pairing seems to get at the heart of his thesis: play, as a totalizing, umbrella-like concept, emanates from a host of philosophical, political, and scientific work produced by Victorians who posed many of their ideas of play in sports metaphors, competitive logics, and narratives of struggle. Kaiser goes beyond the dichotomy of competition and play/competition or play, by stating “I’m interested in the totalizing potential of both concepts, the way that play, or competition for that matter, swallows the world whole, becomes in the minds of so many people, the organizing principle of reality, whether of culture or nature or consciousness, or of all three.
sj-docx-1-pio-10.1177_1748006X231221840 – Supplemental material for A quantitative methodology for justification of platform edge protection systems on passenger rail networks
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-pio-10.1177_1748006X231221840 for A quantitative methodology for justification of platform edge protection systems on passenger rail networks by Jonathan F Harding, Jonathan Reed, Matthew T Elsmore, Kimberley C Harding, Alan R Lee and Reuben McDonald in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability</p
Artful living and the eradication of worry in Søren Kierkegaard's interpretation of Matthew 6:24-34
No full textDanish thinker Søren Kierkegaard published fourteen discourses, across four collections, on Matthew 6:24-34. The repeated readings of the biblical text, whose themes include the choice between God and mammon, worry, what it means to consider the birds and lilies, and how to seek first the kingdom of God, converge with Kierkegaard’s interest in anxiety, despair, worry, subjectivity, indirect communication, choice, the moment, and life before God. Accordingly, the discourses make connections with his larger works, elucidate frequently explored Kierkegaardian themes in recent scholarship, and contribute to his critique of nineteenth-century Copenhagen. Additionally, the collections present an interpretation of each verse and phrase of Matthew’s text and, held up against modern Matthew scholarship, they correlate with and contribute to Sermon on the Mount and New Testament studies. Kierkegaard’s reading of Matthew also holds implications for the practice of biblical interpretation as it promotes the importance of awareness of sin, interestedness, and appropriation as central to proper reading. His emphasis on Christ as the primary exemplar of Matthew’s text adds an additional Christological element to his hermeneutic. Furthermore, the discourses serve as spiritual treatises which provide the reader with theological terminology to help confront the problem of worry and suffering. In light of a human being’s distinctiveness as imago Dei, Kierkegaard elucidates ways an individual may respond artfully to the ongoing possibility of worry, a possibility which the discourses connect with Christian anthropology and external labels associated with possessions and status. The Matthew 6 discourses intimate Kierkegaard’s sympathy with classic Christian spirituality and, in combination with the cultural-ecclesiastical critique, the creative exegesis, and the in-depth analysis of the cause of and cure for worry, his work emerges as an excellent example of spiritual theology
Essays in econometrics and random matrix theory
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation develops new econometric procedures for the analysis of high-dimensional datasets commonly encountered in finance, macroeconomics or industrial organization. First, I show that traditional approaches to the estimation of latent factors in financial data underestimate the number of risk factors. They are also biased towards a single market factor, the importance of which is overestimated in samples. In Chapter 3, I derive a new consistent procedure for the estimation of the number of latent factors by examining the effect of the idiosyncratic noise in a factor model. Furthermore, I show that the estimation of factor loadings by Principal Components Analysis is inconsistent for weak factors and suggest alternative Instrumental Variables procedures. Chapter 4 uses the theoretical results of the earlier chapters to estimate the stochastic dimension of the US economy and shows that global risk factors may obfuscate the relationship between inflation and unemployment. Chapter 5 (co-authored with Jerry Hausman) suggests a new procedure for the estimation of discrete choice models with random coe±cients and shows that ignoring individual taste heterogeneity can lead to misleading policy counterfactuals.by Matthew C. Harding.Ph.D
Increased seasonality through the Eocene to Oligocene transition in northern high latitudes
No full textA profound global climate shift took place at the Eocene–Oligocene transition (33.5 million years ago) when Cretaceous/early Palaeogene greenhouse conditions gave way to icehouse conditions1, 2, 3. During this interval, changes in the Earth's orbit and a long-term drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations4, 5, 6 resulted in both the growth of Antarctic ice sheets to approximately their modern size2, 3 and the appearance of Northern Hemisphere glacial ice7, 8. However, palaeoclimatic studies of this interval are contradictory: although some analyses indicate no major climatic changes9, 10, others imply cooler temperatures11, increased seasonality12, 13 and/or aridity12, 13, 14, 15. Climatic conditions in high northern latitudes over this interval are particularly poorly known. Here we present northern high-latitude terrestrial climate estimates for the Eocene to Oligocene interval, based on bioclimatic analysis of terrestrially derived spore and pollen assemblages preserved in marine sediments from the Norwegian–Greenland Sea. Our data indicate a cooling of 5 °C in cold-month (winter) mean temperatures to 0–2 °C, and a concomitant increased seasonality before the Oi-1 glaciation event. These data indicate that a cooling component is indeed incorporated in the 18O isotope shift across the Eocene–Oligocene transition. However, the relatively warm summer temperatures at that time mean that continental ice on East Greenland was probably restricted to alpine outlet glaciers
Matthew’s Emmanuel Messiah: a paradigm of presence for god's people
No full textThe motif of divine presence is a clear phenomenon within the Gospel of Matthew. The modern critical means for assessing the ancient biblical text have multiplied to the point, some claim, of disparity. This study employs both narrative and redaction criticism in an attempt to respond authentically to the structural, historical and theological dimensions of Matthew's Gospel. This study begins with the presumption of the wholeness and integrity of Matthew's narrative, and assumes the gospel story to have an inherently dramatic structure which invites readers to inhabit imaginatively its narrative world and respond to its call. But since we are concerned with the role of both reader and author, this study also assumes a text with an historical author and context. The introduction focuses on the meta-critical dilemma facing New Testament students - what is the text and how do we read it? - and seeks some balance in terms of Krieger's analogy of the text as both window and mirror. Proposed is a narrative reading of Matthew's presence motif alongside a redaction critical assessment of it. In Chapter 2 the elements of narrative theory are introduced and relevant terms defined: the structure of narrative, the function of the narrator, points of view. Chapter 3 becomes an exercise in narrative reading, with Matthew's presence motif providing the focus, and the implied reader’s interaction with the story being predominant in interpretation. Characters, rhetorical devices, and points of view are discussed, to understand the motif's development throughout the story's progress. The thrust of Chapter 4 is thereafter to examine divine presence as a dominant motif within Matthew's most important literary context: the Jewish scriptures. Here the primary paradigms of divine presence provided by the Patriarchs, the Sinai experience, and the Davidic-Zion traditions are assessed. Chapter 5 follows with a more detailed examination of the OT "I am with you/God is with us" formula and its µeo' vµwv/ηuwv language, so strongly connected to Matthew's presence motif. Chapters 6-8 build on these investigations with a closer analysis of the three critical "presence passages" of Mt 1:23. 18:20 and 28:20. The passages and their contexts are probed from a redaction critical perspective, guided by the narrative investigation of Chapter 3, and the background from Chapters 4 and 5.The three major "presence passages" examined in Chapters 6-8 are also complimented by a number of secondary issues: worship, wisdom, the Spirit and the poor in Matthew, and their relation to Jesus' divine presence. These are discussed in Chapter 9. Chapter 10 summarizes and looks briefly at some implications. Matthew' presence motif proves to be an important element of the Gospel’s rhetorical design, redactional strategy and Christology. The presence of Jesus, the Emmanuel Messiah, exhibited in his risen authority, becomes the focus of his people's hopes and experiences in the post-Easter world. What the presence of Yahweh was to his people. Jesus now provides in a new paradigm for his people - his followers, the little ones, the poor and the marginalized, from all nations
From Philosophy to Flourishing: A Compassionate Case for Going Vegan with Matthew C. Halteman
No full textThere’s a way to talk about going vegan that doesn’t involve shame, blame, or rigid rules. A way that invites people in, instead of pushing them away.
Philosopher and author Matthew C. Halteman, has written one of the most generous, wise, and unexpectedly funny books I’ve read in a long time—Hungry, Beautiful Animals. It’s a love letter to what’s possible when we stop arguing about “being vegan” and start embracing the abundance that can come from going vegan.
Matt is professor of philosophy at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in the UK.
In this conversation, Matt and I explore the role of family legacy, inner conflict, and philosophy in shaping our choices—and how compassion must be at the heart of advocacy if we want real change.
We speak about what it means to approach others as “vegans in waiting,” the metaphors that make change feel safe rather than threatening, and how joy—not obligation—is the most powerful fuel for transformation
NBSV 208: Matthew C. Halteman on the joyful case for going vegan
No full textVeganism isn’t about saying no; it’s about saying yes. Philosophy professor and author Matthew C. Halteman joins me to make the joyful case for going vegan. It’s an invitation to live in alignment with your values — and eat ridiculously good food while you’re at it. We dig into why most people already want a more vegan world (even if they don’t call themselves vegan yet), how to move from guilt and obligation to abundance and flourishing, cognitive dissonance (why people get defensive about veganism even when they agree with you), how to be an actually effective advocate without burning out or blowing up every family dinner, and much more. Matt also shares his own journey from meat lover to ethical vegan, how his dog Gus changed his worldview, and why he thinks veganism should feel like possibility, not pressure. Important topics we discussed: \u3e\u3e The idea of our “inner family” (from Internal Family Systems therapy) and how veganism can harmonize it \u3e\u3e Why going vegan isn’t about stopping something terrible, but starting something beautiful \u3e\u3e The importance of patience, failure, and joy in any long-term lifestyle change
\u3e\u3e Karina’s upcoming TEDx talk on a very similar subjec
Professor Matthew Halteman on Ethics, Animals, and Awe
No full textAccording to Oxford researcher Joseph Poore, going vegan is “the single biggest way” to reduce our environmental impact on Earth. Yet for many, the journey begins not with data, but with a gut-level realization about compassion, identity, and joy. That’s exactly what came to life in a powerful and heart-opening conversation between host Cheryl Moss and Professor Matthew Halteman on the Better Life for Animals Podcast. A philosopher at Calvin University and author of Hungry Beautiful Animals: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan, Halteman shared how awe, humor, and hope—not guilt—can transform hearts and eating habits
Hope for the Animals Podcast: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan with Matthew Halteman
No full textCan you use some positive news for the new year? We’ve got you covered with this interview! Matthew Halteman has written a book called Hungry Beautiful Animals: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan and it is full of positive vegan vibes. Matthew is a professor of philosophy at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and fellow in the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, UK. He is the author of Compassionate Eating as Care of Creation and coeditor of Philosophy Comes to Dinner: Arguments About the Ethics of Eating.
Matthew puts a hopeful spin on going vegan in his new book and helps us to frame the issue with positivity and joy. Hope and Matt explore veganism as a philosophy and how we can deepen the vegan conversation to apply to every aspect of life. Matt shares how he feels that love is a crucial component to a vegan life, both self-love and love for others. They also get into the psychological aspects of vegan arguments and confrontations and effective communication
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