To create a graceful living environment is the core responsibility of landscape designers in the designing process of residential environment. Residential environment design should pay attention to correctly involving...To create a graceful living environment is the core responsibility of landscape designers in the designing process of residential environment. Residential environment design should pay attention to correctly involving cultural feature and environmental and ecological elements which should be integrated in certain living environment through a good design method, so as to reflect landscape designers’ concern on the urban living space. Taking the buildings of Urban Paradise (Paradise in Chinese literature is also called Taohua Yuan, that is, Land of Peach Blossom, originated from the essay by TAO Yuan-ming in the Eastern Jin Dynasty) in Nanning City for example, the research investigated how to integrate ecology and culture in the environment creation of residential district.展开更多
Equity theory was proposed by John.Stacey.Adams. Under the background in China, nor matter the staff in state owned enterprises with better pay or the compliant workers feel unfair remuneration. Is the unfairness obje...Equity theory was proposed by John.Stacey.Adams. Under the background in China, nor matter the staff in state owned enterprises with better pay or the compliant workers feel unfair remuneration. Is the unfairness objective reality or caused by special cultural environment in China？ The paper deeply observes the inapplicability of equity theory in China and reaction of it on productivity.展开更多
The patriarchal leaning of most traditional African communities is sign-posted by certain behavioural models which place the woman at the receiving end of certain prejudices in our cultural milieu. Such prejudices man...The patriarchal leaning of most traditional African communities is sign-posted by certain behavioural models which place the woman at the receiving end of certain prejudices in our cultural milieu. Such prejudices manifest in diverse behavioural and relational manners that either peripheralize the woman or out-rightly remove every vestige of human dignity from her being. Language, being a significant carrier of our emotions, biases, beliefs, preference and prejudices, provides a crucial platform for the interrogation of the nature of gender relations and their consequences in any society, such consideration has forced a preponderance of scholarly interest in gender studies in arts and humanities. This study caries out a scholarly investigate into such gender inspired biases through the prison of Yoruba proverbs as a reflection of our cultural practices and beliefs about the position of the woman in a typical traditional Yoruba setting展开更多
Cribwork Song is a long narrative folk song,which spread in the folk of Kangxian County,Longnan City,Gansu Province of China.This paper has analyzed historical background,humanistic environment,story plot,artistic cha...Cribwork Song is a long narrative folk song,which spread in the folk of Kangxian County,Longnan City,Gansu Province of China.This paper has analyzed historical background,humanistic environment,story plot,artistic characteristic and inheritance significance of Cribwork Song.展开更多
Sustainable development is the latest concept in a long series of conceptual innovations aimed to bring a space of dream to our harsh reality due to economic growth. This inflation of adjectives added to the developme...Sustainable development is the latest concept in a long series of conceptual innovations aimed to bring a space of dream to our harsh reality due to economic growth. This inflation of adjectives added to the development, like sustainable, viable, etc., is an attempt to blur our eyes about its negative effects; it is like a magic conjuration. When we look at all its implications, we are so far. There are reasons to be pessimistic： The paths that this concept will lead us to are not clear. In the sustainable development concept, we find only a new packing to our harsh reality： a matter of marketing. Sustainable development was presented as a ＂solution＂ to our innumerable recent problems; on the contrary, it may be a problem to solve. Shouldn＇t this concept be seriously questioned and maybe condemned？ Assuming no drastic measure taken to control earth problems, by the year 2032, 70% of the planet will be destroyed. Sustainable development is a rhetorical ploy which seeks to reconcile what is irreconcilable： the environment and the development. A policy which is not carefully enough thought will carry along various perverse and adverse effects for the ecology as much as for the economy.展开更多
In this article, I examine the view that there is a human right to democracy, and consider why we should regard this issue as decisive in solving the problems of foreign interference in the protection of human rights....In this article, I examine the view that there is a human right to democracy, and consider why we should regard this issue as decisive in solving the problems of foreign interference in the protection of human rights. I also note that there has been almost no discussion about the holder of the human right to democracy, that is, who is to hold this right. After comparing John Rawls＇ argument against the human right to democracy and Thomas Christiano＇s argument for it and showing similarities and critical differences among their arguments, I insist that we ought to be sensitive when proclaiming that democracy--be it a minimally egalitarian democracy or a more exacting one--is a universal value. We have sufficient cause to consider carefully not only the political circumstances but also the political infrastructure of the country before we proceed to an even limited intervention in the name of the protection of a human right to democracy. If the human right to democracy is not just a right to vote, but a right to the whole process of establishment and enjoyment of democracy, it should be understood as a group right that pertains to a human population that legitimately claims political self-determination. Any human population that insists on the democratic self-determination of their political will is both able and entitled to establish and administer democratic institutions, regardless of the diversity of its ascribed or cultural characteristics. The establishment of such a group with a firm political identity should be considered as the political infrastructure to claim and exercise the human right to democracy.展开更多
The design is a cultural activity. The design always influences all aspects of our daily lives, as large as the country＇s politics, economical reform and development, as small as the necessities of daily life. All th...The design is a cultural activity. The design always influences all aspects of our daily lives, as large as the country＇s politics, economical reform and development, as small as the necessities of daily life. All the designs mentioned here consist of both sensual activities of art and the rational activities of science. ＂Design is also a culture＂. Design is a culture-based, which means to absorb nutrients from the culture. Whether in ancient or modem, East or West, design is always to have a certain culture. Design and culture interrelate with, influence and promote each other. We humans live in a designed cultural environment and atmosphere which is constantly being designed. The design has become a way for human survival and development. Works of our designers are no longer just a product, a brand, a package, a poster or a building, but design of a new lifestyle, a new culture, which are a reflection, expansion and continuation of the culture. The design itself is creating culture.展开更多
This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries whic...This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries which differ by their cultures, their socio-economical levels, and their religions. This work is focused on the sensitive educational topic ＂Human Reproduction and Sex Education＂. And 43 biology textbooks are analyzed among eight countries： four are in Europe and four in Africa and Middle East. Grids were built to identify implicit values in the texts and images. It is a more precisely explicit or implicit presence of cultural, socio-economical, and ethical dimensions. The investigation concerns whether the authors of textbooks present differently this theme depending on the socio-cultural, ethical, and religious contexts. The content of the textbooks was analyzed as reflecting the conceptions of their authors and publishers. The outcomes of the analyses show that several textbooks present images of human beings restricted to only one ethnic type, usually white-skinned and with fair hair. The social, cultural, economical, and ethical dimensions were generally absent, except for some interest for them in few European textbooks.展开更多
Chinese American literature hasn＇t developed into a visible power until 1970＇s in the American literary world. David Henry Hwang is a dazzling star among Chinese-American writers. He is the first to perform his own ...Chinese American literature hasn＇t developed into a visible power until 1970＇s in the American literary world. David Henry Hwang is a dazzling star among Chinese-American writers. He is the first to perform his own works on Broadway as well as the first to get Tony Award. He is the most successful and reputable Asian American playwright in the history of American Drama. Hwang＇s masterpiece M. Butterfly inverts orientalism＇s constructing the relationship between the east and the west, subverts stereotypes of the oriental in the westerners＇ eyes, and cries out a distinctive voice of＂the other＂ to western hegemony culture. However~ as a Chinese-American writer of the second generation that receives white mainstream cultural education, Hwang＇s deconstructing the orientalism and subverting the fixed relationship between the east and west has its imperfection, which results from social and historical environment the author lives in, personal experiences as well as national culture identity. In addition, Hwang＇s M.Butterfly aims at appealing for the eastern and western cultures＇ learning from each other, communicating with each other in order to achieve the goal of cultural co-prosperity with a broader mind in a harmonious atmosphere.展开更多
With the cultural myth that science can only determine the way the world ＂is＂ （facts）, while humanities, social sciences, lawyers, philosophers, and theologians must determine the way the world ＂ought to be＂ （v...With the cultural myth that science can only determine the way the world ＂is＂ （facts）, while humanities, social sciences, lawyers, philosophers, and theologians must determine the way the world ＂ought to be＂ （values）, those in position of global-, national-, and local-political power make major decisions of the use （or non-use） of scientific knowledge and technology. As a result, the human being has created a non-scientifically based cultural environment that is affecting his ability to survive. In effect, cultural evolution is occurring more rapidly than biological evolution that can adapt to the changes brought about in the physical and psycho-social environments. In a pluralistic cultural world, where each society has generated a different view of human nature and different ethical values, the use, misuse, or non-use of scientific and technological advances are derived from these unscientific views of human nature. Since all life depends on limiting interacting environmental and ecological factors, it is imperative that scientific information be used to govern how to minimize irreversible effects on life-sustaining ecological factors, but also scientific information bearing on understanding human nature ought to be integrated into a ＂global bioethics＂. While ethical values cannot be directly derived from scientific factors, it is also true that human values or our ＂ought＂ cannot be maintained in ignorance or defiance of the facts or the ＂is＂.展开更多
文摘To create a graceful living environment is the core responsibility of landscape designers in the designing process of residential environment. Residential environment design should pay attention to correctly involving cultural feature and environmental and ecological elements which should be integrated in certain living environment through a good design method, so as to reflect landscape designers’ concern on the urban living space. Taking the buildings of Urban Paradise (Paradise in Chinese literature is also called Taohua Yuan, that is, Land of Peach Blossom, originated from the essay by TAO Yuan-ming in the Eastern Jin Dynasty) in Nanning City for example, the research investigated how to integrate ecology and culture in the environment creation of residential district.
文摘Equity theory was proposed by John.Stacey.Adams. Under the background in China, nor matter the staff in state owned enterprises with better pay or the compliant workers feel unfair remuneration. Is the unfairness objective reality or caused by special cultural environment in China？ The paper deeply observes the inapplicability of equity theory in China and reaction of it on productivity.
文摘The patriarchal leaning of most traditional African communities is sign-posted by certain behavioural models which place the woman at the receiving end of certain prejudices in our cultural milieu. Such prejudices manifest in diverse behavioural and relational manners that either peripheralize the woman or out-rightly remove every vestige of human dignity from her being. Language, being a significant carrier of our emotions, biases, beliefs, preference and prejudices, provides a crucial platform for the interrogation of the nature of gender relations and their consequences in any society, such consideration has forced a preponderance of scholarly interest in gender studies in arts and humanities. This study caries out a scholarly investigate into such gender inspired biases through the prison of Yoruba proverbs as a reflection of our cultural practices and beliefs about the position of the woman in a typical traditional Yoruba setting
文摘Cribwork Song is a long narrative folk song,which spread in the folk of Kangxian County,Longnan City,Gansu Province of China.This paper has analyzed historical background,humanistic environment,story plot,artistic characteristic and inheritance significance of Cribwork Song.
文摘Sustainable development is the latest concept in a long series of conceptual innovations aimed to bring a space of dream to our harsh reality due to economic growth. This inflation of adjectives added to the development, like sustainable, viable, etc., is an attempt to blur our eyes about its negative effects; it is like a magic conjuration. When we look at all its implications, we are so far. There are reasons to be pessimistic： The paths that this concept will lead us to are not clear. In the sustainable development concept, we find only a new packing to our harsh reality： a matter of marketing. Sustainable development was presented as a ＂solution＂ to our innumerable recent problems; on the contrary, it may be a problem to solve. Shouldn＇t this concept be seriously questioned and maybe condemned？ Assuming no drastic measure taken to control earth problems, by the year 2032, 70% of the planet will be destroyed. Sustainable development is a rhetorical ploy which seeks to reconcile what is irreconcilable： the environment and the development. A policy which is not carefully enough thought will carry along various perverse and adverse effects for the ecology as much as for the economy.
文摘In this article, I examine the view that there is a human right to democracy, and consider why we should regard this issue as decisive in solving the problems of foreign interference in the protection of human rights. I also note that there has been almost no discussion about the holder of the human right to democracy, that is, who is to hold this right. After comparing John Rawls＇ argument against the human right to democracy and Thomas Christiano＇s argument for it and showing similarities and critical differences among their arguments, I insist that we ought to be sensitive when proclaiming that democracy--be it a minimally egalitarian democracy or a more exacting one--is a universal value. We have sufficient cause to consider carefully not only the political circumstances but also the political infrastructure of the country before we proceed to an even limited intervention in the name of the protection of a human right to democracy. If the human right to democracy is not just a right to vote, but a right to the whole process of establishment and enjoyment of democracy, it should be understood as a group right that pertains to a human population that legitimately claims political self-determination. Any human population that insists on the democratic self-determination of their political will is both able and entitled to establish and administer democratic institutions, regardless of the diversity of its ascribed or cultural characteristics. The establishment of such a group with a firm political identity should be considered as the political infrastructure to claim and exercise the human right to democracy.
文摘The design is a cultural activity. The design always influences all aspects of our daily lives, as large as the country＇s politics, economical reform and development, as small as the necessities of daily life. All the designs mentioned here consist of both sensual activities of art and the rational activities of science. ＂Design is also a culture＂. Design is a culture-based, which means to absorb nutrients from the culture. Whether in ancient or modem, East or West, design is always to have a certain culture. Design and culture interrelate with, influence and promote each other. We humans live in a designed cultural environment and atmosphere which is constantly being designed. The design has become a way for human survival and development. Works of our designers are no longer just a product, a brand, a package, a poster or a building, but design of a new lifestyle, a new culture, which are a reflection, expansion and continuation of the culture. The design itself is creating culture.
文摘This study was carried out within the European research project ＂Biology, Health and Environmental Education for Better Citizenship＂. It is a comparative analysis of textbooks from eight Mediterranean countries which differ by their cultures, their socio-economical levels, and their religions. This work is focused on the sensitive educational topic ＂Human Reproduction and Sex Education＂. And 43 biology textbooks are analyzed among eight countries： four are in Europe and four in Africa and Middle East. Grids were built to identify implicit values in the texts and images. It is a more precisely explicit or implicit presence of cultural, socio-economical, and ethical dimensions. The investigation concerns whether the authors of textbooks present differently this theme depending on the socio-cultural, ethical, and religious contexts. The content of the textbooks was analyzed as reflecting the conceptions of their authors and publishers. The outcomes of the analyses show that several textbooks present images of human beings restricted to only one ethnic type, usually white-skinned and with fair hair. The social, cultural, economical, and ethical dimensions were generally absent, except for some interest for them in few European textbooks.
文摘Chinese American literature hasn＇t developed into a visible power until 1970＇s in the American literary world. David Henry Hwang is a dazzling star among Chinese-American writers. He is the first to perform his own works on Broadway as well as the first to get Tony Award. He is the most successful and reputable Asian American playwright in the history of American Drama. Hwang＇s masterpiece M. Butterfly inverts orientalism＇s constructing the relationship between the east and the west, subverts stereotypes of the oriental in the westerners＇ eyes, and cries out a distinctive voice of＂the other＂ to western hegemony culture. However~ as a Chinese-American writer of the second generation that receives white mainstream cultural education, Hwang＇s deconstructing the orientalism and subverting the fixed relationship between the east and west has its imperfection, which results from social and historical environment the author lives in, personal experiences as well as national culture identity. In addition, Hwang＇s M.Butterfly aims at appealing for the eastern and western cultures＇ learning from each other, communicating with each other in order to achieve the goal of cultural co-prosperity with a broader mind in a harmonious atmosphere.
文摘With the cultural myth that science can only determine the way the world ＂is＂ （facts）, while humanities, social sciences, lawyers, philosophers, and theologians must determine the way the world ＂ought to be＂ （values）, those in position of global-, national-, and local-political power make major decisions of the use （or non-use） of scientific knowledge and technology. As a result, the human being has created a non-scientifically based cultural environment that is affecting his ability to survive. In effect, cultural evolution is occurring more rapidly than biological evolution that can adapt to the changes brought about in the physical and psycho-social environments. In a pluralistic cultural world, where each society has generated a different view of human nature and different ethical values, the use, misuse, or non-use of scientific and technological advances are derived from these unscientific views of human nature. Since all life depends on limiting interacting environmental and ecological factors, it is imperative that scientific information be used to govern how to minimize irreversible effects on life-sustaining ecological factors, but also scientific information bearing on understanding human nature ought to be integrated into a ＂global bioethics＂. While ethical values cannot be directly derived from scientific factors, it is also true that human values or our ＂ought＂ cannot be maintained in ignorance or defiance of the facts or the ＂is＂.
