Universalism

Pauline Universalism: Anachronism or Reality?

by Eliezer Gonzalez

Published in Journal  of  Asia  Adventist  Seminary 14.1 (2011): 65-­‐‑77

Are we able to attribute a modern concept such as universalism (in the sense of the opposite to particularism) to Paul... more Are we able to attribute a modern concept such as universalism (in the sense of the opposite to particularism) to Paul in the formation of his communities, or is such an idea hopelessly anachronistic? This paper suggests that although Paul’s universalism does not fully conform to modern definitions, there is a universalistic dimension to his formation of the ἐκκλησία that was radical within his own culture in both Jewish and Hellenistic terms. Nevertheless, there were some first-century social and philosophical currents that would have provided some implicit support for his application of universalistic principles. However, the roots of Paul’s approach are to be found not so much in Hellenistic philosophical currents, but rather in his understanding of divine convenantal condescension. These considerations allow us some insights to understanding the status of different genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic classes in the Pauline communities.

A Quest for Universalism

by Daniel Chernilo

On the relationships between social theory and natural law: lessons from Karl Löwith and Leo Strauss

by Daniel Chernilo

Universalismo: Reflexiones sobre los fundamentos filosóficos de la sociología

by Daniel Chernilo

The War on Terrorism

by David Cohen

This paper challenges the paradigms behind the doctrine of the War of Terrorism and proposes that it be replaced by... more This paper challenges the paradigms behind the doctrine of the War of Terrorism and proposes that it be replaced by understanding the ethnic conflicts that underly these wars. Rather than seeing separatism as a destructive force, the author argues that the United States foreign policy should be based again on principle of self-determination. Two, sometimes complementary, sometimes contradictory, principes on which our country was based are self-determination and empire. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt were proponents of self-determination, but neither was in a position to fully implement it. Today, with the existence of the United Nations, the United States has the power to reinstitute the principle through internationally supervised plebiscites, rather than war.

Aaron Copland and the Politics of Cultural Diplomacy

by Emily Ansari

Journal of the Society for American Music 5/3 (2011)

Scholars have largely ignored Aaron Copland’s lengthy career as a cultural diplomat, although the documentation... more Scholars have largely ignored Aaron Copland’s lengthy career as a cultural diplomat, although the documentation surrounding it sheds newlight on his political views. Through a consideration of his work with the U.S. government duringWorldWar II and the Cold War this article argues that a brand of universalist internationalism, rooted in his earliermusical experiences in Europe and in his leftist politics, motivated many of Copland’s political activities at home and overseas during this period. Copland remained committed to this perspective both before and after his McCarthy hearing in 1953, but the Cold War inevitably brought new challenges to a man with such an outlook. Copland’s work with the U.S. Information Agency during this period shows that although his beliefs and attitudes remained unchanged, he felt the need to participate in a reconstruction of his image that better matched the new climate. His music written during the Cold War, furthermore, provides an artistic realization of this interaction between pragmatism and idealism.

Some Potential Benefits of a Universal System

by Poppy Valentine

This is a thought paper on the power of the fusion of knowledge, love and diversity and what I believe that has to... more This is a thought paper on the power of the fusion of knowledge, love and diversity and what I believe that has to offer humanity.

A Dynamic Conception of Humanity, Intercultural Relation, and Cooperative Learning

by Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast

Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast & Zohreh Khosravi. A dynamic conception of humanity, intercultural relation and cooperative learning. Intercultural Education, Volume 21, Issue 3, June 2010, pages 281-290

The main focus of this paper relates to the conceptualizations of human identity and intercultural relations needed... more The main focus of this paper relates to the conceptualizations of human identity and intercultural relations needed for cooperative learning (CL) to occur. At one extreme, some have argued that the relation between different cultures should be conceptualized in terms of incommensurability. At the other extreme, a standardization and unification along with the trend of globalization is supported at the peril of leaving pluralism aside. This paper argues that neither of the two extreme views can provide a satisfactory theoretical basis for CL at the intercultural level. Such a theoretical basis can be sought in providing a compromise between Donald Davidson's principle of charity and Gadamer's view of understanding in terms of fusion of horizons. Consequently, understanding is neither merely an inner nor an outer endeavour; rather it involves both. Cooperative learning in this framework implies that the material for learning is neither in the hands of the learner nor in those of the so-called "teacher". In fact, this material develops an intercultural relation by means of both poles of the relation. CL involves reciprocal support as well as reciprocal critique.

LAUNIDAD ORIGINARIA COMO CONDICÓN DE POSIBILIDAD DEL RACISMO: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LAS DIFERENCIAS

by Mariela Cuadro

The Concrete Universal in Žižek and Hegel

by Wendell Kisner

In The Ticklish Subject, Žižek argues that the Hegelian concrete universal is not the organic comprehensive totality... more In The Ticklish Subject, Žižek argues that the Hegelian concrete universal is not the organic comprehensive totality that it is often assumed to be. Rather, he argues that Hegel's concrete universality is defined in its very concretion by an irreducible rupture, gap, or trauma that not only neither closes it off from otherness nor assimilates otherness within the same, but forever opens it to otherness, constituting it as such exposure. However, by understanding the function of negativity in Hegel's argument in a foundational way, Žižek posits as final what is merely a transitional stage. As a result, he not only misconstrues concrete universality and substitutes for it a particularized universal which, as such, remains abstract, but in doing so he passes by the implications in his own account that could lead to a positive conception of concrete universality above and beyond the strictly negative and empty formality he takes it to be. By avoiding Žižek's foundationalist way of framing the category of universality we can thereby articulate a logic of implications in it that leads us out of the still abstract shape, to which Žižek limits it, to its truly (in Hegel's view) concrete form. Furthermore, the latter contains political implications that are lost in Žižek's version.