18,479 research outputs found
ADAM SMITH'S OPTIMISTIC TELEOLOGICAL VIEW OF HISTORY
No full textAdam Smith's four-stage theory provides the framework for his writings on history. The fourth stage is the commercial epoch; the culmination of history in this stage is a key component in the conventional interpretation of Adam Smith as a prophet of commercialism. In two historical case studies Smith shows the capacity of commercial society to regenerate itself. This potent capacity suggests that commercial society is inevitable. At a certain point in time it also overcomes the major obstacles to its permanence. Smith's philosophy of history anticipates the end of history views of Kant and Hegel.Political Economy,
Twin studies of cardiorespiratory disease, daily cardiovascular activity and imaging
No full textTwin studies have helped gain insight into the role of heritability in disease and disease processes. Given the large burden cardiorespiratory diseases place on society, these diseases have featured largely in twin studies. In part A of this chapter, a brief overview of the outcomes of such studies is provided for a wide variety of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. A moderate to high influence of genes is seen for the vast majority of these diseases. This highlights the importance of screening high-risk individuals, as well as studying gene-by-environment interactions. While studying the disease itself is important, insight into the processes leading up to the disease may increase our understanding of disease development. By studying cardiovascular function for prolonged periods of time in nonpatient populations, valuable insights can be obtained in normal day cardiovascular functioning. In part B of this chapter, we review twin studies in which indices of cardiovascular function were recorded throughout the day and night using ambulatory monitoring. Here too, it is evident that heritability influences the variation of everyday blood pressure and heart action. Another way of gaining insight into the physiological processes underlying disease development is through imaging studies. In part C of this chapter, we discuss the inclusion of twins in imaging studies. Twin studies of imaging data are still sparse and cover a wide variety of traits. Studies including both monozygotic and dizygotic twins generally point to a role for genetic factors, though the degree differs across the traits. Within imaging studies, the twin discordant design is also often applied, demonstrating the occurrence of gene-by-environment interaction. Overall, twin studies have shown that genetic factors play an important role in individual variation in many physiological diseases and disease processes. Future studies are expected to provide more insight into the interplay of genetic and environmental factors with respect to physiological function and risk. Of particular interest are studies looking into epigenetic mechanisms, which are gradually emerging and may further help the development of more personalized medicine, based on genetic vulnerability as well as lifestyle and environment.</p
How Might Adam Smith Pay Professors Today?
No full textAdam Smith’s proposal for paying professors was intended to induce increased faculty knowledge. If students have imperfect information about what they learn, and universities can only imperfectly measure the input of faculty time in student learning, publications may be used to measure faculty knowledge. If professors’ ability to publish is positively related to their ability to produce student learning, which universities can imperfectly measure, publications may be necessary to attract more able professors. Since research signals faculty knowledge, schools that do not value publications per se could require higher publication standards and pay higher wages than schools that value only publications.
ADAM SMITH'S VIEW OF HISTORY: CONSISTENT OR PARADOXICAL?
No full textThe conventional interpretation of Adam Smith is that he is a prophet of commercialism. The liberal capitalist reading of Smith is consistent with the view that history culminates in commercial society. The first part of the article develops this optimistic interpretation of Smith's view of history. Smith implies that commercial society is the end of history because 1) it supplies the ends of nature that he identifies; 2) it is inevitable; and 3) it is permanent. The second part of the article shows that Smith has some dark moments in his writings where he seems to reject completely such teleological notions. In this more civic humanist mood he confesses that commercial society does not supply the ends of nature, nor is it inevitable, nor is it permanent. Both views exist in Smith and the commentator is forced to choose between passages in Smith's work in order to support a particular interpretation of the former's view of history.Political Economy,
Adam Smith and Roman Servitudes
No full textThis essay is a preprint of an article that appeared at: Tijdschrift voor Rechstsgeschiedenis, 72 (2004), 327–57.This essay discusses Adam Smith historical jurisprudence and his use of Roman law materials in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. It argues that Smith found it difficult to maintain his theory of legal development in the face of a highly developed body of Roman law literature
Association between personality profile and subclinical atherosclerosis: the role of genes and environment
No full textBackground. The mechanism underlying the association between personality profile and
subclinical atherosclerosis is poorly understood. This study explores the association between
personality, carotid atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness, and the contribution of genes and
environment to this association.
Methods. Early atherosclerotic traits, including carotid intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT),
aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and heart rate, were assessed in 318 adult twins, who
also completed a Big Five personality questionnaire. Using the co-twin control approach, the
association between intra-pair differences in clinical and personality scores was assessed in
dizygotic (DZ) and monozygotic (MZ) twins separately.
Results. An association between CCA-IMT and extroverted personality, as well as between
PWVao and openness to experience was detected. The inverse association between CCAIMT
and extraversion was persistent in DZ and disappeared in MZ twins, suggesting genetic
confounding. In contrast, the association between PWVao and openness to experience was of
the same magnitude in DZ and MZ twins, thus surviving the adjustment for genetic and
shared environmental factors.
Conclusions. This study highlights that the association between some psychological factors
and cardiovascular traits may be partly explained by genetic factors. This result may provide
support for the feasibility of prevention programs based on assessing familiarity for
personality disorders to detect genetic risk for subclinical cardiovascular disease
THE THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ADAM SMITH'S WORK
No full textThe paper will discuss the theological foundation to Smith's writings. Teleology, final causes and divine design were initially seen as central to understanding Smith's writings. Over time, this view fell out of fashion. In the period after World War II, with the rise of positivism, commentators tended to overlook or downplay this interpretation. In the last decade, or so, teleology has started to be restored to its former position as an essential element in understanding Smith. After spelling out Smith's teleology and his view of final causes, divine design and the ends of nature, we try to explain the Panglossian nature of the 'new theistic view' of Smith. While our view differs somewhat, we agree with the essence of the 'new view' claim: a theological view exists in Smith which underpins his moral and economic theories.Political Economy,
Interview. Matthew Joseph with Adam Gussow, musician and author
No full textInterview in which Adam Gussow discusses hill country blues musi
Książę Adam Jerzy Czartoryski i jego stronnicy w świetle historiografii ukraińskiej
No full textIn 1937, the Warsaw historian Marceli Handelsman published a work entitled Ukraińska polityka
ks. Adama Czartoryskiego przed wojną krymską [Ukrainian politics of Prince Adam Czartoryski
before the Crimean War]. So far, this book has been used by historians as the primary source of
information on the Ukrainian issue in the views of the Hotel Lambert’s leader. The author of this
text has decided to collect Ukrainian works referring to the topic inaugurated by Handelsman. Unfortunately, no larger study has been prepared on the Ukrainian side. However, a number of articles
and encyclopaedic notes showing Prince Adam and his Eastern policy (especially during his stay
at the court of Tsar Alexander I Romanov) has been published. Ukrainian authors paid much more
attention to Czartoryski’s associates, who tried to put his ideas into practice. Ukrainian researchers
wrote mainly about Michał Czaykowski (Sadyk Pasha) organizing the Cossack troops in the Ottoman Empire, about Hipolit Terlecki striving for the union of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic
Churches, and finally about the ethnographer and writer Franciszek Duchiński clearly separating
Ukraine from Russia in his writings
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