Browse Titles - 10 results
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Did Religion Play a Causal Role in the Evolution of Large, Complex Societies?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 8 mins
The notion of a powerful god is often said to play a significant role in supporting the transition from small relatively equal hunter and gatherer societies to big hierarchical societies. However, as RUSSELL GRAY explains in this video, while there is a correlation between “big gods” and “big societies”, t...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 8 mins
Description
The notion of a powerful god is often said to play a significant role in supporting the transition from small relatively equal hunter and gatherer societies to big hierarchical societies. However, as RUSSELL GRAY explains in this video, while there is a correlation between “big gods” and “big societies”, this is no causal relationship. By comparing the evolution of different forms of social organization in cultures with a common ancestry...
The notion of a powerful god is often said to play a significant role in supporting the transition from small relatively equal hunter and gatherer societies to big hierarchical societies. However, as RUSSELL GRAY explains in this video, while there is a correlation between “big gods” and “big societies”, this is no causal relationship. By comparing the evolution of different forms of social organization in cultures with a common ancestry in the Pacific and Southeast Asia the researchers found that these societies grew bigger first and only then borrowed the notion of a powerful god through the influence of Muslim traders. Another result on the influence of religion is that ritual human sacrifice played a major role in maintaining or even promoting social inequality.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Russell Gray, fl. 1990
Person Discussed
Russell Gray, fl. 1990
Topic / Theme
Anthropology, Social customs, Religion
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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Do Constitutional Courts Use Balancing to Promote Judicial Activism?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
In an empirical analysis of the German and the African constitutional courts and the Canadian Supreme Court, the study presented in this video examines the use of the concept of balancing. Contrary to the common understanding, NIELS PETERSEN shows that courts do not use balancing to engange in judicial activism....
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
Description
In an empirical analysis of the German and the African constitutional courts and the Canadian Supreme Court, the study presented in this video examines the use of the concept of balancing. Contrary to the common understanding, NIELS PETERSEN shows that courts do not use balancing to engange in judicial activism. Instead, they restrain themselves and employ proportionality as an instrument of rationality review, i.e. a means for compensating poli...
In an empirical analysis of the German and the African constitutional courts and the Canadian Supreme Court, the study presented in this video examines the use of the concept of balancing. Contrary to the common understanding, NIELS PETERSEN shows that courts do not use balancing to engange in judicial activism. Instead, they restrain themselves and employ proportionality as an instrument of rationality review, i.e. a means for compensating political market failures.
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Field of Study
Politics & Current Affairs
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Constitution, Courts, Laws and legislation, Political activism and activists, Legal system
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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Godless Mystic
produced by University of Surrey (Surrey, England: University of Surrey, 2015), 3 mins
This thesis examines the psychology of "belief" between believers and atheists. Can an understanding of how beliefs are constructed lead to a greater understanding and reduction of "belief based" conflicts?
Open Access
produced by University of Surrey (Surrey, England: University of Surrey, 2015), 3 mins
Description
This thesis examines the psychology of "belief" between believers and atheists. Can an understanding of how beliefs are constructed lead to a greater understanding and reduction of "belief based" conflicts?
Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Lecture/presentation
Contributor
University of Surrey
Date Published / Released
2015
Publisher
University of Surrey
Topic / Theme
Atheism, Religious beliefs
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How is the Principle of the Best Interests of the Child Applied in Islamic Family Law?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 15 mins
How do lawgivers define what makes a good parent? NADJMA YASSARI is interested in the impact of the principle of the best interests of the child on custody decisions in the Middle East and countries with common heritage from Islamic family law. As she explains in this video, her research team adopted a comparative...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 15 mins
Description
How do lawgivers define what makes a good parent? NADJMA YASSARI is interested in the impact of the principle of the best interests of the child on custody decisions in the Middle East and countries with common heritage from Islamic family law. As she explains in this video, her research team adopted a comparative inner-Islamic approach. They did not only examine the legal aspects of the question but they also put each country’s laws and rules...
How do lawgivers define what makes a good parent? NADJMA YASSARI is interested in the impact of the principle of the best interests of the child on custody decisions in the Middle East and countries with common heritage from Islamic family law. As she explains in this video, her research team adopted a comparative inner-Islamic approach. They did not only examine the legal aspects of the question but they also put each country’s laws and rules in a social, historical and cultural context. They discovered that while there was a historical continuity on the use and the application of the principle of best interests in custody rules in pre-modern Islamic law, the legislatures of modern Muslim Nation states introduced and applied that principle to varying degrees in statutory laws and court practice. Their findings enhance the understanding of Islamic concepts of family and custody and might, for instance, help the integration processes of immigrants from Muslim countries to Europe.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
Nadjma Yassari, 1971-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Immigration laws, Eastern European people, Parenthood, Child custody
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
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How Is Yoga Spirituality Transforming in the Face of Modernity?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
By participant observation and qualitative interviews in the Yoga scene the study presented in this interview investigates the characteristics of cosmopolitan spirituality. Findings from behavioral economics on altruism and religious giving are used to shed light on Yoga charity events. They exhibit an innovative...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Description
By participant observation and qualitative interviews in the Yoga scene the study presented in this interview investigates the characteristics of cosmopolitan spirituality. Findings from behavioral economics on altruism and religious giving are used to shed light on Yoga charity events. They exhibit an innovative mixture of generosity and liberal elements, such as competition, ANNE KOCH explains. Thus the observations challenge the traditional co...
By participant observation and qualitative interviews in the Yoga scene the study presented in this interview investigates the characteristics of cosmopolitan spirituality. Findings from behavioral economics on altruism and religious giving are used to shed light on Yoga charity events. They exhibit an innovative mixture of generosity and liberal elements, such as competition, ANNE KOCH explains. Thus the observations challenge the traditional concepts of religion and spirituality, and indicate a key-transformation of cosmopolitan spirituality towards an outward social activism.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Anne Koch, fl. 2017
Person Discussed
Anne Koch, fl. 2017
Topic / Theme
Spirituality, Yoga
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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How Were Refugees Protected in the Islamic Early Middle Ages?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
The migration of refugees is not a problem of the twenty-first century. Historian JENNY RAHEL OESTERLE investigates the question of how people in need of protection were treated in the Middle Ages. Her particular focus in this video is the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century, specifically the Islamic co...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
Description
The migration of refugees is not a problem of the twenty-first century. Historian JENNY RAHEL OESTERLE investigates the question of how people in need of protection were treated in the Middle Ages. Her particular focus in this video is the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century, specifically the Islamic context during the lifetime of Muhammad. The term refugee is coined by a modern understanding in the context of national states and inter...
The migration of refugees is not a problem of the twenty-first century. Historian JENNY RAHEL OESTERLE investigates the question of how people in need of protection were treated in the Middle Ages. Her particular focus in this video is the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century, specifically the Islamic context during the lifetime of Muhammad. The term refugee is coined by a modern understanding in the context of national states and international human rights and asylum. The political and legal conditions are clearly different in early Islamic times. The term is applied on early medieval persons in need of protection such as the prophet Muhammad and his followers in awareness of the historical and semantical complexity of its use. As Jenny Oesterle describes, she focused on narrative texts and was inspired by the methods of New Historicism but also considered the legal context. From Islamic historiographies and Prophet biographies, she gained the insight that stories of protection are essential for the understanding of early Islamic history. Muhammad’s role as a refugee, she found, is highly relevant for the development of the first concepts of Muslim protection during the founding of the Islamic communities. This research demonstrates that countries from which many refugees arrive in Europe nowadays, such as Syria or Iraq, already had developed concepts of protection in the Middle Ages.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Jenny Rahel Oesterle, El Nabbout, 1978-
Person Discussed
Jenny Rahel Oesterle, El Nabbout, 1978-, Muhammad the Prophet, 0570-0632
Topic / Theme
Recorded history, Religious texts, Ancient and classical history curriculums, Historical research and historiography, Islam, Refugees
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
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Is Confucianism a Religion or a Secular Moral System?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
When asked about the place of religion in their culture, many Chinese people will answer that China is a secular country with no major impact of religion. However, as PETER VAN DER VEER explains in this video, the Chinese are more religious than this perspective suggests and perform many rituals in their daily lif...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
Description
When asked about the place of religion in their culture, many Chinese people will answer that China is a secular country with no major impact of religion. However, as PETER VAN DER VEER explains in this video, the Chinese are more religious than this perspective suggests and perform many rituals in their daily life. His research shows that this interpretation of Confucianism results from the historical influence of imperialism and the translation...
When asked about the place of religion in their culture, many Chinese people will answer that China is a secular country with no major impact of religion. However, as PETER VAN DER VEER explains in this video, the Chinese are more religious than this perspective suggests and perform many rituals in their daily life. His research shows that this interpretation of Confucianism results from the historical influence of imperialism and the translation of the Western understanding of the terms ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ to an Asian context. Confucianism is being seen as a moral system directly connected to politics rather than a religion as it has no notion of 'god' and is in many other aspects very different from Western concepts of religion.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Peter van der Veer, 1953-
Person Discussed
Peter van der Veer, 1953-
Topic / Theme
Cultural diversity, Shamanism, Religious beliefs, Confucianism
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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Mission: JOY – A Panel Conversation on Creating Happiness in Troubled Times
directed by Louie Psihoyos and Peggy Callahan; produced by Louie Psihoyos and Peggy Callahan, ProQuest (Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2021), 1 hour 14 mins
Moderated by producer and human rights activist Peggy Callahan, this panel discussion provides insight into the incredible friendship between his holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, featured in the documentary Mission: JOY. The panelists include Doug Abrams, author of the global best-seller The Bo...
Open Access
directed by Louie Psihoyos and Peggy Callahan; produced by Louie Psihoyos and Peggy Callahan, ProQuest (Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2021), 1 hour 14 mins
Description
Moderated by producer and human rights activist Peggy Callahan, this panel discussion provides insight into the incredible friendship between his holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, featured in the documentary Mission: JOY. The panelists include Doug Abrams, author of the global best-seller The Book of Joy, Dr. Thupten Jinpa Langri, a former Tibetan monk and the principal English translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama, and Dr. Elissa...
Moderated by producer and human rights activist Peggy Callahan, this panel discussion provides insight into the incredible friendship between his holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, featured in the documentary Mission: JOY. The panelists include Doug Abrams, author of the global best-seller The Book of Joy, Dr. Thupten Jinpa Langri, a former Tibetan monk and the principal English translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama, and Dr. Elissa Apel, Professor of psychiatry and Vice Chair at the University of California, San Francisco. Topics discussed include scientifically-proven techniques for bringing joy into our lives, the ways joy has impacted the lives and friendship of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and most importantly, how we can empower ourselves to create and share joy with others, in our everyday lives.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Panel discussion
Contributor
Peggy Callahan, Elissa Epel, fl. 2005, Thupten Jinpa Langri, 1958-, Doug Abrams, Louie Psihoyos, ProQuest
Author / Creator
Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan
Date Published / Released
2021
Publisher
ProQuest
Person Discussed
Desmond Tutu, 1931-, Tenzin Gyatso, 1935-
Topic / Theme
Happiness
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What Are the Effects of Religious Pluralism in Society on Individual Religiosity?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 14 mins
One of the basic questions concerning religious pluralism in societies is whether it has a reinforcing or an undermining effect on religiosity of individuals. The two contradicting hypotheses are on the one hand the ‘market theory’ on the other hand the ‘secularization theory’. According to the ‘market t...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 14 mins
Description
One of the basic questions concerning religious pluralism in societies is whether it has a reinforcing or an undermining effect on religiosity of individuals. The two contradicting hypotheses are on the one hand the ‘market theory’ on the other hand the ‘secularization theory’. According to the ‘market theory’ a vast supply of religions in society also increases the demand for it and thus reinforces the religious vitality. The ‘secu...
One of the basic questions concerning religious pluralism in societies is whether it has a reinforcing or an undermining effect on religiosity of individuals. The two contradicting hypotheses are on the one hand the ‘market theory’ on the other hand the ‘secularization theory’. According to the ‘market theory’ a vast supply of religions in society also increases the demand for it and thus reinforces the religious vitality. The ‘secularization theory’ states that individual religiosity is weakened by a plurality of religions in society. The study presented in this video tests both theories empirically for the United States of America and for Western Germany using data covering more than fifty years. As DETLEF POLLACK explains, the findings confirm the secularization theory for both societies. This might indicate a positive relation between modernization and secularization that so far is doubted by many researchers.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Detlef Pollack, 1955-
Person Discussed
Detlef Pollack, 1955-
Topic / Theme
Philosophy, Sociocultural trends, Sociology, Spirituality, Cultural diversity, Religious faiths
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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Why Do People Perform Rituals?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2019), 15 mins
All human societies have rituals, both in everyday life and for special, festive occasions or religious ceremonies. As AXEL MICHAELS points out in this video, rituals are not necessary for our lives. So, why are there so many and why do people follow rituals at all? Michaels has pursued these questions in the cont...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2019), 15 mins
Description
All human societies have rituals, both in everyday life and for special, festive occasions or religious ceremonies. As AXEL MICHAELS points out in this video, rituals are not necessary for our lives. So, why are there so many and why do people follow rituals at all? Michaels has pursued these questions in the context of India. Applying an ethno-indological approach – observing how rituals are performed in India and studying ancient handbooks t...
All human societies have rituals, both in everyday life and for special, festive occasions or religious ceremonies. As AXEL MICHAELS points out in this video, rituals are not necessary for our lives. So, why are there so many and why do people follow rituals at all? Michaels has pursued these questions in the context of India. Applying an ethno-indological approach – observing how rituals are performed in India and studying ancient handbooks that prescribe these rituals – Michaels came to a three-part definition of rituals. These three components are formality, modality, and transcendence. This last component points to an explanation of why people observe rituals at all. By submitting themselves to the prescription of a ritual without questioning it, they become homo ritualis and thereby relieve themselves from the continuous search for meaning.
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Field of Study
Religion & Thought
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2019
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Axel Michaels, 1949-
Person Discussed
Axel Michaels, 1949-
Topic / Theme
Spiritual discipline, Religious beliefs, Religious festivals, Cultural anthropology, Religious rites and ceremonies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2019 Latest Thinking
×
