Misdevelopments, Pathologies, and Normative Revolutions: Normative Reconstruction as Method of Critical Theory

I start out by giving a brief account of the four premises of the method of normative reconstruction and unpack their implications for how Honneth conceptualizes social pathologies and misdevelopments, specifically that these notions are no longer linked to radical critique and normative revolution. In the second part, I demonstrate that abandoning forms of radical critique and normative revolution is internally linked to adopting this method, before arguing that Freedom's Right contains no resources to account for why abandoning them does not amount to a deficiency. In the final part, I point out two problematic implications of turning away from radical critique and normative revolution for the very project Honneth pursues in Freedom's Right. I show that Honneth's own view about the limited scope of application of the method of normative reconstruction and his account of the dangers associated with social misdevelopments give us (additional) reasons to consider this method to be incomplete. Finally, I contend that the explanatory power of Freedom's Right is dubious because methodological premises that form part of normative reconstruction lead Honneth to ignore relevant alternative explanations of processes of deviation and disassociation from norms of social freedom, which he characterizes as social misdevelopments.

Website:  http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Honneth on Social Pathologies: A Critique

He has presented it as a distinctive critical resource of Frankfurt School Critical Theory, in which tradition he places his own work; and as an alternative to the mainstream liberal approaches in political philosophy. In this paper, I review the developments in Honneth's writing about this notion and offer an immanent critique, with a particular focus on his recent major work Freedom's Right. Both his early context-transcendent approach and his more recent immanent approach are found wanting, and his increasing reformism is exposed and criticized. The central distinction in Freedom's Right between social pathologies and misdevelopments is also shown to be unworkable. In addition, I demonstrate that Zurn's influential proposal to characterize the phenomena Honneth identified as social pathologies in terms of a cognitive disconnect does not fit (with Zurn's own description of) these phenomena. While some such phenomena, like what Honneth describes as “Organized Self-Realization,” call out for conceptualization in terms of the notion of social pathology, an alternative characterization of this notion is necessary.

Website:  http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Social Freedom and Self-Actualization: “Normative Reconstruction” as a Theory of Justice

I argue that this project can only succeed if Honneth can offer an alternative, comparatively robust demonstration of the rationality and normative coherence of existing social institutions. I contend that the grounds Honneth provides for this claim are insufficient for his purposes. In particular, I argue that Honneth's claim that “justice and individual self-determination are mutually referential,” even were it to be accepted, would be insufficient to underwrite his more robust identification between the normative foundations of justice, autonomy and reciprocal self-realization. In the final section of the paper, I turn to Honneth's analysis of the “social institution” of friendship, which he, following Hegel, holds up as a paradigmatic instantiation of social freedom understood as, in Hegel's words, “being with oneself in another” (Beisichselbstsein in einem Anderen). I argue that an analysis of the normative import of friendship wholly in terms of mutual recognition misses an important aspect of the kind of self-realization that friendship makes possible.

Website:  http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Social Freedom and Progress in the Family: Reflections on Care, Gender and Inequality

The paper focuses on the discussion of social freedom in the family in Axel Honneth's most recent book Freedom's Right. I argue, on the one hand, that radical democrats have much to learn from Honneth's method of normative reconstruction because it provides a much needed corrective to the “social weightlessness” that characterizes their thought about democracy. In contrast to the current preoccupation with rarefied issues of political ontology, Freedom's Right exemplifies a type of sociologically attuned thinking that is essential for addressing issues of power and inequality. On the other hand, I argue that Honneth's reliance on a teleological notion of historical progress has deeply constraining effects on his critique of power. First, in so far as it underestimates the impact of growing social inequality on personal and intimate relations, it fails to acknowledge just how extensive, radical and, potentially deeply contentious the political measures needed to realize social freedom in the family may have to be. Second, Honneth's teleological reconstruction provides too thin a basis to generate substantive normative solutions to issues of social justice in the family. Third, teleology tends to depoliticize the process of emancipatory social change by construing it in terms of impersonal mechanisms and developmental tendencies rather than as open-ended, often polemical and deeply contested forms of political struggle.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Is the Market a Sphere of Social Freedom?

Axel Honneth's normative reconstruction of the market as a sphere of social freedom in his 2014 book, Freedom's Right. Honneth's position is complex: on the one hand, he acknowledges that modern capitalist societies do not realize social freedom; on the other hand, he insists that the promise of social freedom is implicit in the market sphere. In fact, the latter explains why modern subjects have seen capitalism as legitimate. I will reconstruct Honneth's conception of social freedom and investigate how it is realized in the sphere in which Honneth sees it most successfully at work, the sphere of interpersonal relations. I then move on to the sphere of the market economy and discuss two related problems of this view that stem from his interpretation of Hegel. Next, I consider Honneth's method of “normative reconstruction” and his reconstructions of the sphere of consumption and, finally, the labor market. My conclusion will be that market institutions cannot realize social freedom, and that this insight should orient the philosophical direction of critical social theory.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Unmounted Versus Face-Mounted Inkjet Prints Analyses Concerning Their Light Ageing Behaviour

Four different inkjet substrates from project partners Ilford Imaging AG, Sihl Switzerland AG, and Sihl GmbH Germany were tested within the research project ‘Diasec3’. Pigmented inks were printed on different substrates and different types of face-mountings were applied. These samples were exposed for 515 Mlxh in an ageing chamber, which was constructed for the project. The inkjet print samples included the colours cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, as well as the colour mixtures CMY and skin. The question to be answered was: Are the face-mounted inkjet prints more permanent under light exposure than unmounted ones? The lightfastness was analysed by colour measurement of the samples during exposure. Changes in colour density and colour shift were monitored. All face-mountings improved the lightfastness of the inkjet prints.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Expandable Polyester Hinges for Parchment Mounting Performance in Fluctuating Environmental Conditions

The high hygroscopicity and heterogeneity of parchment make it particularly sensitive to fluctuating environmental conditions. Due to this, the final housing of an artwork on parchment, including mounting, should aim to mitigate the impact of the fluctuations on the object. The conservation of two navigation maps painted on parchment from the Musée national de la Marine, Paris raised the question of finding an appropriate mounting method. Flexible mounting techniques that adapt to the movement of parchment have been developed by conservators in the past, but their behaviour and efficiency in a fluctuating environment have not been observed or tested. This study focuses on the expandable polyester hinges method developed at the Victoria and Albert Museum and evaluates the safety and performance of this mounting technique in fluctuating environmental conditions. We explore an alternative way of manufacturing reproducible hinges using laser cutting.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

The Treatment of Oil Paintings on Paper Supports Considerations on the Treatment Applications Used from the Past until the Present

From the past until the present, oil paintings on paper supports have usually been treated in the same way as oil paintings on canvas, mainly by painting conservators. During the last few decades, with the development of the specializations in the conservation profession, the treatment of this type of work became a grey area between paper and painting conservators. However, a combination of paper and painting conservation disciplines is regarded as essential for their treatment, since the layers overlaying the paper support correspond to those of oil painting on canvas, present similar problems and require analogous interventions.

The fact that oil paintings are biaxially heterogeneous laminar structures results in a dynamic interaction between the painting layers and the support, having as a consequence optical, chemical, and mechanical alterations caused by the conservation treatments applied. Thus, any conservation approach raises a lot of issues.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

A Light Booth for Macro-Pictures

The Lightune modular Dome Pack consists of a ring, a dome, and connector cable. The dome lighting is insured by an LED Ring of colour temperature 6500 K (white). The white dome diffuses light, allowing a uniform illumination of the area. Pictures are taken from a small hole on the top of the dome, measuring 2 cm in diameter. Before purchasing such a system, it is necessary to verify that the photo apparatus allows taking pictures through a 2 cm hole. It should additionally include a white balance option since LEDs provide discontinuous wavelength spectra.

Website:  http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

From the Espresso Era to the Internet Era – High School Students and On-line Chat

The article addresses the broad social implications of the internet technological revolution, and its manifestations among high school students drawing attention to the contradictory conclusions reached by various researchers. The paper reports findings from a field study among 60 Israeli high school students aged 12-18. Conclusions indicate that the net expands and enhances new social relationships which fulfill important social, emotional, and intellectual functions in adolescents’ lives. The study findings further indicate that gender and age are important moderators of net chat. Findings of this case study are consistent with the conclusions advanced by the late Marshall McLuhan, and the conceptualization of the communication technology as a new social essence.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Motivational Orientation of Persons Managing Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programmes in the Volta Region of Ghana

The Volta Region Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programme was launched in 1984 as a joint venture between the governments of Ghana and Denmark. Its development objective was to contribute towards better living and health conditions for rural populations in the Volta Region of Ghana. To achieve this goal, the Programme was to provide reliable and easily accessible sources of drinking water to be managed by the recipient communities. At the same time, water and excreta related diseases were to be reduced considerably through the adoption of hygienic practices and improved sanitary installations.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

The Efficacy of Symbolic Work-Family Integration for Married Professionals who Share Paid Work

People's work and family experiences can be manifest in visible symbolic forms, from displaying family photos at the office, to writing doctor appointments next to business meetings on a calendar. Viewing a calendar with both work and family notes and appointments contained therein is, on the surface, a superficial exercise. But examining this artifact in terms of how it represents social identities and processes can reveal that even the most mundane objects and activities (e.g., writing appointments on a calendar) can symbolize larger social phenomena. Social actors’ use of space, objects, time, activities, and associates (Nippert-Eng 1996), when examined sociologically, contain meanings that signify work and family experiences and identities. Understanding the artifacts and practices of people can help us grasp the complexity and meaning of the boundary between work and family life. The normative practices used to negotiate and manage the tasks of everyday life are part of the process of work-family negotiation. Representations of this negotiation via common objects, physical space, use of time, daily activities, and work-family associates are the focus of this study. For the remainder of this paper, these representations are referred to as symbolic work-family integration, specifically because they are mundane things that, once analyzed systematically,meaningfully symbolize important social identities and experiences for the individuals who use them in their worked.

Website:  http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Social Media and Political Participation in Nigeria during the 2011 General Elections: The Lapses and the Lessons

The use of social media in politics has continued to grow in recent times. Since Barack Obama broke the world record in the history of social media use for political purpose during the 2008 US presidential elections, many nations and politicians across the globe have continued to embrace the platform to mobilise their citizens and candidates towards active participation in the political process. Nigeria had the first real test of social media use for political participation during the 2011general elections. This study examines the experiment of social media use for political participation in the country during the 2011 general elections. The study was anchored on the uses and gratifications theory. The survey research method was used. Findings show that whereas many used the technology to make vital input in the political discourse, others used them to attack opponents, spread false rumours, hate and inciting messages which were believed to have contributed in the violence and tensions witnessed before, during and after the elections in many parts of the country. The work recommends urgent review of the various media laws to address the peculiar technicalities involved in monitoring and moderating the use of different social media platforms.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

The Basic Principles as Limits of Constitutional Revision in the Constitutional Jurisprudence and Doctrine in Europe

Whenever is raised the question of a constitutional revision, the most frequent dilemma concerns the limits till which a certain parliamentarian majority, even a qualified one, can “dare” to approach. The expressed limits set in the revising process of rigid constitutions play a guaranteeing role based on the un-derogation of certain principles or institutes. The basic principles constitute the fundaments of a given constitutional order and their revision or modification is seen as un-proper, because it would have caused the transformation of this order. They constitute limits set to the revising process, expressed or even implicit ones. Furthermore, it would have been an unlawful revision, even if they would be modified conform to the procedures previewed in the constitution. This article gives examples on comparative basis of the contemporaneous constitutional doctrine and practice of several European countries, even in the absence of an expressed restriction, where certain basic principles were identified and determined (on case by case basis) as implicit and absolute limits set in the revising process of a rigid constitution. Their existence derives by the concept of the material constitution and the constitutional courts have an essential role in the determination of these limits and in the constitutional transformations. Related cases are found in the German, French, Italian and Spanish experience, and even in the new constitutional jurisprudence and doctrine of post-communist states of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

The Building Industry in the Housing Programme: Technology, Materials and Labour Towards Adressing Housing Shortage in Ameerican

The building industry is a sector of national economy engaged in preparation of land and construction, alteration, and repair of buildings, structures, and other real property. More agents, institutions and intermediaries have become involved in the various stages of housing construction as a means of producing more housing for human shelter. Building Industry work involves the construction of a new or existing commercial, industrial or domestic buildings or structure. The major form of urban land use is housing construction, and also the pattern of urban land use largely determines the pattern of urban growth and development. (Agbola, 2002). However, this paper examined the essential link between the building industry, technology, materials and labour in relations to housing programme. And its goal is to critically examine the roles of building industry in the housing programme since housing programme as immensely contributed to the development of building construction industry in Nigeria. The paper shows some of the functions of building industry in housing programme, the materials to be use , technology employed and the labour used in the construction process and highlights the need for government to encourage both the private and public building industry to provide quality and affordable housing for human consumption as this will be part of the housing programme organized to alleviate the problem of inadequate housing in most developing countries.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Understanding Women’s Learning Experiences through Blogosphere

In the body of qualitative research literature, a number of attempts have demonstrated that technology could serve a useful role to enrich and deepen the process of data collection and analysis. The purpose of this study is threefold. First it attempts to explore possible learning experiences within dialogues among women from the platform of the virtual community (the blog). Second, it endeavors to uncover to what extent women could benefit from this virtual community. Finally, it provides an example and possible strategies for qualitative researchers to incorporate technology into their research. Three analytical strategies were utilized: word count, content analysis, and constant comparison analysis. Two major findings are discovered. First, in this virtual community, women are eager to “know others” and “hear others’ stories” (see figure 1 and table 1). The findings of constant comparison analysis further confirm the results from word count and content analysis. Second, it seems that for qualitative researchers, blogs or similar online formats could provide a rich and meaningful context data for the investigation.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Luther’s Theological Grounds for the Reformation

the Church believed that man could be saved by a combination of faith and works, despite his sin and that the Church was the divine instrument of God. Luther believed in the irremediable sinfulness of man and the world, including the Church .Only faith and God’s grace could save man. Once Luther understood Paul in this way, the Church became sin itself, as much in need of God’s grace as the most depraved man. The violence spawned by the Reformation cannot be understood without an appreciation of Luther’s radical and profound denial of the worth of the Church and all other manifestations of the World.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

How Regulation Responds To Globailization and Privatization of Higher Education

The foundations of higher education in Israel were established in the 1920s, with the founding of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1925, after numerous difficulties and opponents were overcome. Not only the pioneers of higher education were plagued by these difficulties; It appeared that they were an integral element in the history of every other institution that has since sought recognition as a university in Israel. Every institution that sought to penetrate the gates of the invory tower has encountered fierce opposition and the perpetual argument that Israel needs no more universities. Surprisingly (or, perhaps, not so surprisingly), each time, the heads of the existing universities at the time stood in the first row of such opposition. Any attempt to establish a new university led them to make declarations about the dangers inherent in establishing yet another institution of higher education in Israel. Recently, on December 24, 2012, Israel’s eighth university, Ariel University, was declared. This was the first university established since the 1970s. This paper examines the nature of arguments FINANCIAL, political, academic, or other) against establishment of new universities in Israel and changes in these arguments over time and explores what an institutions needs to be recognized as a university. To address these and other issues, we first review the regulatory approach of Israel’s higher education system and illustrate the traditional opposition against establishment of universities in Israel using the case of Ariel University. We conclude with an outline of a scenario for the establishment of Israel’s ninth university, and those after it.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

The Study Of The Phenomenon Of “Mystifying Russian Soul” Within The Context Of Russian History And Its Significance For Increasing Mutual Understanding Between The Russian People And Other Nations

The historical, cultural, natural and other prerequisites for formation of patterns of thoughts and mentality of the modern Russian citizens are considered in the article. Their interpretation will allow Europeans and Americans to increase effectiveness of their communication with Russians and among them: to make the right policy decisions by politicians separating the Russian people’ interests from their governments’ interests; to do business more effectively in Russia and to benefit from the tendency of the Russian people to combine laziness and great work capacity; to increase mutual understanding between Russians and the citizens of the Western countries and to improve cultural, scientific and touristic exchanges between them.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/

Religion and Morality in Ghana: A Reflection

Several scholars have written extensively on religion and morality. These works generally try to answer the question of what determines morality. Whiles some scholars strongly maintain that religion is the determinant of morality, some are sceptical and others do not accept such stance. Such discourse has found its way into African ethics with views from the west and among some Africans who maintain that the morality of Africans is religious base. In joining this debate however, this paper sets out to revisit the views articulated by scholars on the question of the determinant of morality and to find out whether religion determines the morality of Ghanaians. The paper concludes that religion determines the morality of Ghanaians.

Website: http://www.arjonline.org/social-sciences-and-humanities/american-research-journal-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/