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Phenomenology: Core Concepts and Baha’i Perspectives

August 23, 2025


Caution: Please note that this blog is an individual teaching, learning, and research initiative part of lifelong learning and is not associated with any institution. As well, this post uses AI, may have errors and is not a reliable source. I am adding a Creative Commons license but use the content at your own risk.

In 2023, I began to investigate ways in which a suite of technological tools could enhance my understanding of the Modern Intellectual Tradition: from Descartes to Derrida based on a 2010 lecture series by Professor Lawrence Cahoone and to assist me in uncovering relevance between these philosophers, their schools of philosophy, key debates and concepts, and Baha’i Scriptures.

This project emerged from a call by the Universal House of Justice in 2013 for Baha’is to focus more attention to the “intellectual life of […] the community and its greater involvement in the life of society”.

One of the more exciting and useful is Google’s NotebookLM teaching, learning, and research assistant assistant. Like all LLM tools, it is a dynamic, constantly changing technology that leaves the curious mind in awe at its potentiality and power. One of the unique features of NotebookLM, is the user’s ability to add sources to a project. The responses generated by NotebookLM will only use the sources provided which helps to manage LLM hallucinations and errors.

Starting with Cahoone’s Lecture 23 in his series of 36 30-minute videos (also available in audio format), Cahoone discusses the influence of Martin Heidegger on philosophy in the 20th and 21st centuries.

I created a Public Notebook entitled “Being-in-Oneness: A Dialogue between Heideggerian and Baháʼí Ontology” in NotebookLM.

One of the features of NotebookLM is the option to created mind maps, which I find very useful. The mind map below entitled “Phenomenology: Core Concepts and Baha’i Perspectives” was generated based on the query “Discuss what these sources say about Heidegger’s Ontology and Dasein, in the larger context of Phenomenology.”

Each of the modules shown below can be expanded.

NotebookLM-generated texts includes dynamic numbered inline citations which allows the viewer to confirm the content based on the original source by referring to the text in a pop-up on the same screen. Unfortunately, this feature is available only within the program. The example below of the NotebookLM generated response to the query: “Discuss what these sources say about Heidegger’s Ontology and Dasein, in the larger context of Phenomenology” does not include these useful numbered inline citations.

Phenomenology, as a philosophical movement, can be understood both as a disciplinary field and a historical tradition. It is generally characterized as a systematic exploration of conscious subjectivity or the study of consciousness itself, often described as a “way of seeing” or a methodological approach rather than a fixed set of doctrines. This involves examining experiences from a first-person point of view.

Edmund Husserl’s Foundational Phenomenology

Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) is widely regarded as the founder of the phenomenological movement. His core concern was to establish a firm foundation for human knowledge in sciences, mathematics, and logic, believing these fields lacked a secure basis due to naturalistic philosophy. Husserl critiqued naturalism (the view that everything belongs to the world of nature and can be studied by scientific methods) and psychologism (the idea that logic and meaning are purely psychological properties), arguing that the study of consciousness requires a different approach than empirical sciences.

Core Concepts in Husserl’s Phenomenology:

  • Critique of Subject-Object Dichotomy: Husserl argued that the traditional separation of subject and object, prevalent since Descartes, failed to adequately understand knowledge because it overlooked the active role of the “human subjecthood” or “human spirit”.
  • Transcendental Ego: Following Immanuel Kant, Husserl sought to understand the “universal structure of the human self” or the transcendental ego, which orders and unifies experience. He saw his project as a “science of the human spirit” or “science of the human conscious”.
  • Phenomenological Method:
    • Bracketing (Epoché): This is a key methodological step where one “suspends judgment” about the actual existence of the external world. Husserl’s aim was not to doubt existence, but to focus on the essences of experiences and the universal structures of consciousness, devoid of all particularities, theories, or interpretations. The term epoché was borrowed from Greek Skeptics.
    • Eidetic Intuition/Reduction: This method involves an immediate awareness of universal essences, forms, or ideal structures of consciousness, achieved through “imaginary variation” of components of an experience to identify its “necessary and invariable” elements.
    • Lived World (Lebenswelt): In his later work, Husserl moved towards bracketing the purely theoretical attitude to get at the “I” of the “lived world” or pre-scientific, pre-theoretical consciousness of ordinary life.
  • Intentionality: Often considered Husserl’s “great discovery”, intentionality is the fundamental idea that consciousness is always “consciousness of” something. It is an active, directional act that makes an object present, constitutes it, and gives it meaning. This active constitution differentiates it from passive, representational views of consciousness.

Martin Heidegger’s Ontological Reorientation

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), Husserl’s student and successor, deeply reoriented phenomenology, leading to “existential phenomenology”. While his major work, Being and Time (1927), was published in Husserl’s phenomenological yearbook and dedicated to him, Heidegger fundamentally departed from Husserl’s focus on the transcendental ego and consciousness.

Heidegger redefined phenomenology as “letting that which shows itself be seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself”. Crucially, he asserted that what is at stake in this “showing” is “Being itself,” thus declaring that phenomenology is ontology. This was a radical shift from Husserl’s method, which generally set aside metaphysical theories. Heidegger aimed to “determine the meaning of Being itself”. He believed Western philosophy since the Greeks had overlooked the ontological difference between Sein (Being) and Seiende (beings or entities), treating Being as if it were an entity. His project was a “fundamental ontology” to overcome this “forgetting of Being” and understand “what it means for them to exist”.

Core Concepts in Heidegger’s Phenomenology:

  • Dasein: Heidegger approached the question of Being by first examining the entity for whom Being is a question: human being, or Dasein (roughly “being-there” or “being-in-the-world”). Dasein is not a detached subject or an isolated ego, but a “bodily, active agent, thrown into and vulnerable to the world, and fundamentally anxious”.
  • Being-in-the-World: This concept challenges the idea of a detached observer, emphasizing the embeddedness of human existence. Heidegger saw Being and the world as fundamentally inseparable, hyphenating “being-in-the-world” to stress this unity.
  • Critique of Cartesianism: Heidegger rejected Descartes’ model of man as a thinking thing, arguing that the primary experience is “just sort of being there” (Dasein), before any such abstraction. He saw the subject-object dichotomy as an abstraction from this more primordial unity.
  • Tripartite Structure of Everyday Dasein:
    • Existentiality (Understanding): The “projection of possibilities,” meaning Dasein constantly projects meanings and possibilities, revealing objects in terms of what can be done with them.
    • Thrownness (Geworfenheit): Dasein finds itself “cast into a world not of our own making” with a past it did not choose. This is its “facticity” or “state of mind”.
    • Fallenness (Verfallen): Describes Dasein’s absorption in everyday concerns, conformity to the “they-self” (das Man), and distraction by “beings” rather than “Being.” This leads to an “inauthentic” existence.
  • Authenticity and Being-Toward-Death: Authentic Dasein confronts the reality of its finitude, particularly its own death. Anxiety (Angst), for Heidegger, is not fear of a specific event but an “open-ended sense of fear or dread about existing as a human being,” serving as a signal to recognize one’s true existence. Care (Sorge) is identified as the “fundamental truth about everyday human being”. Guilt (Schuld) arises from the awareness of one’s finitude and “what one is not”. Anticipatory resoluteness is the acceptance of guilt and impending death, allowing for authentic existence.
  • Temporality (Zeitlichkeit): Heidegger argued that Dasein is fundamentally temporal, always moving towards its future and defined by its past, structured by the modes of past, present, and future. He sees time as the “fundamental context in which being itself must be interpreted”. He connects possibility (Möglichkeit) to “liking” and “loving” (mögen), suggesting that Being “gifts itself to us if we like it and love it back”.
  • Aletheia (Truth as Unconcealment): Heidegger viewed truth not as correspondence but as unconcealment or disclosure. This involves a “clearing” (Lichtung) where things are revealed, but also acknowledges an inherent concealment or withdrawal. This concept resonates with John Vervaeke’s work on relevance realization, where disclosure is always bound up with what is ignored as irrelevant.
  • Language and “Ontological Poetry”: Heidegger saw Western languages as reinforcing the subject-object dichotomy. He later advocated for poetry as a better form of communication, non-propositional and capable of articulating the simultaneous disclosure and withdrawal of things.

Historical Development and Varieties of Phenomenology

Phenomenology, as a “movement,” is not entirely unified, leading some to speak of “phenomenologies” in the plural. Its historical roots are diverse:

  • Franz Brentano: Husserl was deeply influenced by Brentano’s “descriptive psychology,” which focused on mental phenomena as acts of consciousness “directed toward some object” (intentionality).
  • Hegel: G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) developed “dialectical phenomenology” in 1807.
  • Husserl’s Transcendental Phenomenology: Arising in the early 20th century, Husserl’s work established phenomenology as a “rigorous science” of consciousness.
  • Heidegger’s Existential Phenomenology: Published in 1927, Being and Time initiated “existential phenomenology,” profoundly influencing 20th-century existentialism.
  • Other Key Figures and Connections:
    • Phenomenology has close ties with hermeneutics (Heidegger and Hans-Georg Gadamer) and existentialism (Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Karl Jaspers).
    • It also influenced psychiatry (Jaspers) and sociology (Alfred Schutz).
    • Later thinkers like Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault were influenced by phenomenology, leading to poststructuralist turns and critiques.
    • Despite being classified as “continental philosophy,” phenomenology has surprising connections to analytic philosophy, with figures like Gottlob Frege, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Bertrand Russell engaging with Husserl’s work, and Gilbert Ryle even teaching courses on Heidegger.

Phenomenology’s Evolution and “Reincarnation”:

  • Decline (1970s): The philosophical scene in Europe shifted away from phenomenology and existentialism towards structuralism and post-structuralism, with Heidegger moving into his later thinking and Sartre embracing Marxism.
  • Rebirth (1990s): A rebirth of interest occurred, particularly in phenomenology’s contributions to the developing cognitive sciences, especially in understanding consciousness and embodiment. This “reincarnation” emphasizes embodied, situated, action-oriented approaches to cognition, where phenomenologists collaborate with scientists for a more holistic view of cognitive life.

Heidegger’s “Turn” in his later philosophy moved away from Dasein as an “anthropocentric mistake” to focus on how Being reveals itself through Dasein. He critiqued the entire Western philosophical tradition for projecting human concepts onto Being, leading to an “enframing” of beings as “standing reserve” through technology. His later work called for an end to “philosophy” and its replacement by a new kind of “thinking” focused on aletheia (truth as unconcealment/disclosure), adopting an “ek-static” (being outside the self) and “ontological poetry” approach. This later work has been interpreted as religious or mystical.

Posted by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
Filed in Intellectual life of the Baha'i community,, My personal product recommendations, New technologies, Philosophy, teaching learning and research, Teaching Learning and Research Tools, Technology and Software, Technology. Mind and Consciousness
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Who Really Benefits From Keystone XL? Examining the Winners and Losers

August 21, 2025


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August 20, 2025

In his August 2025 article in The Walrus, former conservative leader Erin O’Toole argues that reviving the Keystone XL pipeline could offer strategic benefits for both Canada and the US. It would support North American energy security, leverage Canada’s position to negotiate better trade terms, and align with Trump’s priorities, strengthening bilateral relations. O’Toole sees expedited Canadian support as a potential diplomatic win despite past setbacks and shifting global energy trends.

I asked Perplexity AI.

At first, AI agreed with O’Toole, but I challenged the response asking,

Is it economically viable for Canada? Investment in Canada’s oil industry is decreasing, is it not, or at least flat-lining. How many years does it take to build Keystone XL since most of what had been completed was dismantled? Will there still be a need and an interest after Trump leaves office? and as renewables are so much less expensive and reliable?

Perplexity reconsidered saying,

“Investment in Canada’s oil sector is either flat or declining, with significant economic questions about the viability of large new projects like Keystone XL:

  • Investment Trends: Capital investment in Canada’s oil and gas industry, once around $80 billion, now hovers near $30–$40 billion yearly. Companies are focusing more on returning cash to shareholders than expanding operations. Recent studies project that up to 66% of future investments (2025–2040) in Canada’s oil and gas sector are at risk of becoming “stranded” as global demand wanes and the energy transition accelerates.
  • Keystone XL Construction Timeline: When construction last resumed, company estimates indicated 2–3 years would be required from ground-breaking to operation, barring legal and regulatory delays. However, since the original project was canceled, permits have expired, parts were dismantled, and the developer has exited. Realistically, a revived Keystone XL—if started anew in 2025—could take at least 3–5 years to complete, and even that is optimistic due to environmental reviews, court challenges, and permitting hurdles.
  • Future Need and Interest: Multiple analyses forecast global oil demand to plateau before 2030, then enter steady decline due to electrification of vehicles, clean energy mandates, and climate policies. Canadian oil, in particular, is at high risk of losing competitiveness and market share, especially if global climate targets are enforced. By 2040, as much as two-thirds of capital investments could be at risk of never returning value.
  • Renewables vs. Oil: Renewables, such as wind and solar, are increasingly less expensive, highly scalable, and now represent some of the fastest-growing sectors of Canada’s energy industry. Corporations and governments are pressing for green power, and Canada’s clean electricity regulations will accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels.

Summary: A revived Keystone XL faces fundamental economic headwinds: declining and risk-prone investment, uncertain demand post-2030, long construction and regulatory timelines, and the rapid advancement and cost-competitiveness of renewables. A pipeline completed after several years may have diminishing market relevance, and political demand for such a project could quickly fade if the US administration changes—especially as global and local interest shifts toward clean energy.

I then asked, “How does the fact that there are fewer players in the oil industry and these are legacy companies that are earning very large profits with much lower costs? Does this affect arguments about increasing employment in Alberta, for example?”

Perplexity answered:

Industry consolidation and higher profits for legacy oil companies mean fewer jobs in Alberta’s oil sector, undermining arguments that new projects will boost employment:

  • There are now fewer, larger oil companies dominating the market, and they’re earning record profits largely by cutting costs—especially labor. Automation, efficiency gains, and consolidation have led to a steep decline in jobs per barrel produced.
  • Despite record oil production, Canadian oil and gas employment fell by 17% from its 2012 peak to 2023—and jobs created per unit of output have dropped sharply.
  • Major roles affected include heavy equipment operators, drilling laborers, and machinists; some are projected to see up to a 65% decrease in employment levels by 2040 due to automation and efficiency.
  • Alberta, specifically, has experienced stagnant or declining oil sector job growth even when production and corporate profits rise. Industry leaders and analysts caution that the sector cannot be relied on for robust employment growth going forward.

Overall, the economic structure of the modern oil industry—dominated by fewer legacy firms prioritizing returns and cost-cutting—means new projects like Keystone XL would likely create fewer stable jobs than in the past. Employment growth in Alberta from oil is unlikely to return to previous levels, weakening arguments for expansion based on job creation.

I then asked,

“Who would a renewed Keystone XL pipeline to the United States benefit then? The legacy owners? Which Canadians? Would it help the American economy in any way?”

Perplexity answered:

1. Legacy Oil Companies

  • The major beneficiaries would be large, established oil companies—mostly multinationals such as TC Energy and other legacy firms in Canada and the US—which own and operate existing infrastructure, have secured export rights, and can realize high profits with streamlined logistics.
  • These companies have already captured the bulk of market share and profit, and would gain through increased export capacity, reduced transport bottlenecks, and higher margins.

2. Certain Canadian Stakeholders

  • Shareholders and Executives: The biggest financial gains would go to investors and executives in these oil companies, who have the most at stake in expanded pipeline capacity and increased export volumes.
  • Alberta Provincial Government: Alberta could see short-term fiscal benefits from royalties and pipeline construction activity, though long-term gains are limited by declining sector employment and shrinking global demand.
  • Construction Workers (Short-Term): There would be a temporary boost to construction and related trades during the pipeline building phase, but job numbers would rapidly decrease once construction is complete, given the high automation of operations.

3. American Economy

  • Midwest and Gulf Coast Refineries: US refineries processing Canadian heavy crude would have a more efficient, reliable supply, possibly at lower cost. This benefits refiners who have invested heavily in processing this specific grade of oil.
  • Petroleum-Sector Profits: Increased throughput could help manufacturing-dependent regions, but job impacts would be minimal outside construction.
  • Energy Security: The pipeline could marginally bolster US energy security by stabilizing North American supply, reducing reliance on imported oil from other regions.

Who Would Not Benefit?

  • Broad Canadian Workforce: The broader workforce and most Canadians would see limited or no benefit, as the sector’s employment opportunities remain weak and focused only on temporary construction work.
  • Local Communities/Other Sectors: Diversification and clean energy sectors generally do not benefit and may compete for investment or workers.

Key Insight

The economic, environmental, and employment landscape means that the main winners of a Keystone XL revival are large legacy oil companies, certain investors, and infrastructure-focused regions. Broad-based economic or employment gains for Canada or the US would likely be limited.

Sources generated by Perplexity AI

Sources generated by Perplexity AI for inline citations include: Fox Business, Geopolitical Futures, Reuters, CBC News, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Environmental Defence 2025, BLG 2025, EnergyNow, Oil and Gas Journal, The Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Atlas Institute, Canada Energy Regulator, Daily Commercial News, Wikipedia Foundation, The University of Alabama, Ballotpedia, Global Media, Manhattan Institute, National Post via Reddit, The Hill Times, Policy Magazine, Global News (2020), Hansard Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, The Trump Whitehouse, Utah Law Review, Administration of Donald Trump, Business in Vancouver, Pembina Institute, Alberta Worker, St Lawyers, Primus Workforce, Inside Climate News, People’s Policy Project, Food and Water Watch, Union of Concerned Scientists 2024, David Suzuki Foundation 2025, IISD, IISD 2022, CBC News 2025,

Posted by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
Filed in Canadian Studies, Economics, Economy & Finance, Human Geography, liberal trade policies, Public Policy
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Timeline of social events related to social cohesion

February 21, 2025


“Nous sommes ainsi conduits à reconnaître une nouvelle raison qui fait de la division du travail une source de cohésion sociale. Elle ne rend pas seulement les individus solidaires, comme nous l’avons dit jusqu’ici, parce qu’elle limite l’activité de chacun, mais encore parce qu’elle l’augmente. Elle accroît l’unité de l’organisme, par cela seul qu’elle en accroît la vie; du moins, à l’état normal, elle ne produit pas un de ces effets sans l’autre.” 

1916 The concept of social capital was first used in the context of education to explain the importance of community involvement for successful schools (L. J. Hanifan 1916). During the 20th century the concept of social capital has changed according to the prevailing ideological climate. Social capital then can be seen as a tool for public policy through which social cohesion might be acheived. See (Cheong et al. 2007). In a sense Hanifan (1916) was describing how social cohesion was acheived through accumulation of social capital: “those tangible substances [that] count for most in the daily lives of people: namely good will, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse among the individuals and families who make up a social unit….The individual is helpless socially, if left to himself….If he comes into contact with his neighbor, and they with other neighbors, there will be an accumulation of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his social needs and which may bear a social potentiality sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the whole community. The community as a whole will benefit by the coöperation of all its parts, while the individual will find in his associations the advantages of the help, the sympathy, and the fellowship of his neighbors (L. J. Hanifan 1916 cited in Putnam 2000).”

1948 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 in order to strengthen the protection of human rights at international level.

1949-05-05 Treaty of London, establishing the Council of Europe, signed by ten states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Council of Europe was founded in 1949. It “seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.” (dates >> COE)

1950-11-04 Signature in Rome of the Council’s Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms – the first international legal instrument safeguarding human rights. (dates >> COE)

1954-12-19 Signature of the European Cultural Convention, forming the framework for the Council’s work in education, culture, youth and sport. (dates >> COE)

1956-04-16 Creation of the resettlement Fund (which is now the Council of Europe Development Bank), intended to help member States finance social projects. (dates >> COE)

1957-01-12 The Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (now the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe) set up by the Council of Europe, to bring together local and regional authority representatives. (dates >> COE)

1959-09-18 The European Court of Human Rights established by the Council in Strasbourg, under the European Convention on Human Rights, to ensure observance of the obligations undertaken by contracting states. (dates >> COE) (dates >> COE)

1961-10-18 The Council’s European Social Charter signed in Turin as the economic and social counterpart of the European Convention on Human Rights. (dates >> COE)

1962 E Rogers, E. published Diffusion of Innovations

1961 Urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs (1916-) used the term social capital in reference to the value of networks (1961, 1969). Some trace the modern usage of the term social capital to her writings of the 1960s which took in the wider issues of economics and social relations. While working for the Architectural Forum (1952-), Jacobs observed how the magazine editors believed in urban renewal and considered Yale alumni Ed Logue,  an Ivy League establishment guru, to be a hero of the modernist urban renewal campaigns. Jacobs claimed Logue inadvertently destroyed both New Haven and much of central Boston to the detriment of older neighbourhoods rich in social capital. Jacobs lived in Boston in 1972 and remembered the North End as a vibrant Italian blue collar neighborhood, very insular, but tremendously active—full of all the pork stores, the cheese stores and the cookie stores. Jacobs seized the imagination of an otherwise extremely complacent era in her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) a stark criticism of the experiment of Modernist urbanism. She urged Americans to look to the traditional wisdom of the vernacular city with its vibrant neighbourhoods and streets as it fundamental units. See (Jacobs, Kunster 2001). 

1972-06-01 The Council’s first European Youth Centre is opened in Strasbourg (France). (dates >> COE)

1980-03-27 The Pompidou Group established by the Council as a multi-disciplinary forum for inter-ministerial co-operation against drug abuse and trafficking. (dates >> COE)

1988 James Coleman used the term social capital which loosely refers to social networks that depend on reciprocity and mutual trust.

1989-06-08 Special guest status introduced by the Council’s Parliamentary Assembly, to forge closer links with the parliaments of new member states moving towards democracy. (dates >> COE)

1990-04-30 The Council’s North/South Centre opened in Lisbon (Portugal). (dates >> COE)

1990-05-10 The European Commission for Democracy through Law (the “Venice Commission”) established by the Council to deal with legal guarantees on democracy. (dates >> COE)

1990-11-06 Accession of the first State from the former Soviet Block: Hungary. (dates >> COE)

1993 Robert Putnam (1993, 1995, 2000) further developed the concept of social capital. 

1993-10-08 First Council of Europe summit of heads of state and government in Vienna (Austria) adopts a declaration confirming its pan-European vocation and setting new political priorities in protecting national minorities and combating all forms of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. (dates >> COE)

1993-08 Michael M Cernea, Sociologist and Senior Adviser, World Bank, Washington, DC, USA: ‘Sociological Work Within a Development Agency – Experiences in the World Bank‘, August 1993.

1994-01-17 The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) set up by the Council’s Committee of Ministers to replace the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. (dates >> COE)

1995 Ignacy Sachs, ‘Searching for New Development Strategies: The Challenge of the Social Summit’, Policy Paper no 1 (Paris: UNESCO, 1995).

1996 Judith Maxwell presented a paper entitled “Social Dimensions of Economic Growth” as part of the Eric John Hanson Memorial Lecture Series at the University of Alberta in which she defined social cohesion as . . .

1997-10-10 Second Council of Europe summit of heads of state and government, in Strasbourg (France). (dates >> COE)

1998 Jane Jenson published “Mapping Social Cohesion: The State of Canadian Research” as part of the Canadian Policy Research Networks, Ottawa.

1998-11-01 Single permanent European Court of Human Rights was established in Strasbourg under Protocol No. 11 to the Council’s European Convention on Human Rights, replacing the existing system. This is the only truly judicial organ established by the European Convention on Human Rights. It is composed of composed of one Judge for each State party to the Convention and ensures, in the last instance, that contracting states observe their obligations under the Convention. Since November 1998, the Court has operated on a full-time basis.” (dates >> COE)

1999 “At the Berlin European Council in March 1999, the Heads of State and Government reached agreement on Agenda 2000, an action plan put forward by the Commission principally to strengthen the Community’s policies and provide the Union with a new financial framework for 2000-06 in preparation for enlargement. In this context, Agenda 2000 also included the reform of the Structural Funds. Consequently, the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund now have a new legal framework, which should remain in place until 2006 (NSA UK 2003).”

2000 Robert D. Putnam published his highly influential book entitled Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community. Putnam described how Americans had “become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and democratic structures– and how we may reconnect. Putnam warns that our stock of social capital – the very fabric of our connections with each other, has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities. Putnam draws on evidence including nearly 500,000 interviews over the last quarter century to show that we sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet, know our neighbors less, meet with friends less frequently, and even socialize with our families less often. We’re even bowling alone. More Americans are bowling than ever before, but they are not bowling in leagues. Putnam shows how changes in work, family structure, age, suburban life, television, computers, women’s roles and other factors have contributed to this decline (http://www.bowlingalone.com/).” Putnam was invited to the White House by President Bill Clinton in xxxx to discuss his research and its implications.  (Social capital is a term developed by Pierre Bourdieu?)

2001-03-13 (I believe this is the first time the Directorate Generale published an article using the term social cohesion MFB 2008-03-11.) The Directorate General on Social Cohesion published its second issue of the electronic newsletter ” Social cohesion : developments ”. Children are the main theme of this issue. There is an article about the Final Conference of the Programme for Children that took place in Nicosia in November 2000. It also presents some NGOs that participated in the Forum for Children. Moreover, this newsletter introduces the new strategy for the protection of children in Romania and presents some of the main issues of the international conference on child labour exploitation. “‘Social Cohesion: Developments’ Newsletter: hits the newstands.” http://www.social.coe.int/en/cohesion/strategy/devunit.htm

2001-12 Building Cohesive Communities: A Report of the Ministerial Group on Public Order and Community Cohesion UK. discussed social cohesion.

2001-12 Community Cohesion: A Report of the Independent Review Team UK Chaired by Ted Cantle, December 2001 discussed social cohesion.

2003 The Community Services Council Newfoundland and Labrador published their “Glossary of Terms for the Voluntary Sector.” which included a definition of social cohesion.

2003-01-03 Jean Cassidy compiled a glossary of terms used in discussing poverty and social exclusion for a non-specialist audience entitled “Combat Poverty Agency – Glossary of Poverty and Social Inclusion Terms” for the Combat Poverty Agency. She included Social cohesion: Bringing together, in an integrated way, economic, social, health and educational policies to facilitate the participation of citizens in societal life.; Social exclusion: The process whereby certain groups are pushed to the margins of society and prevented from participating fully by virtue of their poverty, low education or inadequate lifeskills. This distances them from job, income and education opportunities as well as social and community networks. They have little access to power and decision-making bodies and little chance of influencing decisions or policies that affect them, and little chance of bettering their standard of living; Social inclusion:Ensuring the marginalised and those living in poverty have greater participation in decision making which affects their lives, allowing them to improve their living standards and their overall well-being; Social Inclusion Units: Structures developed or being developed by local authorities which have a dedicated emphasis on tackling social exclusion. These Units seek to extend key elements of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) to local level and to promote social inclusion as a key priority within local government.” The site was modified on 2003-12-01.

2003-01 NSA of UK. 2003. “Social Cohesion – Prospect and Promise.” A statement by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom.

2004-06-24 “Jean-Louis Borloo, Ministre de l’emploi, de la cohésion sociale et du logement présentait en conseil des ministres le Plan de cohésion sociale, comportant 20 programmes et 107 mesures destinés à agir simultanément sur trois leviers : l’emploi, le logement et l’égalité des chances.” “Il n’y aura pas de croissance durable sans cohésion sociale.” more:  http://www.travail-solidarite.gouv.fr/espaces/social/grands-dossiers/plan-cohesion-sociale/20-programmes-107-mesures-pour-cohesion-sociale-7255.html

2005-05-16 Third Council of Europe summit of heads of state and government, in Warsaw (Poland). (dates >> COE) “The current Council of Europe‘s political mandate was defined by the third Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Warsaw in May 2005. It “seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.” (dates >> COE)

2005 “Recent applications of social capital theories to population health often draw on classic sociological theories for validation of the protective features of social cohesion and social integration. Durkheim’s work on suicide has been cited as evidence that modern life disrupts social cohesion and results in a greater risk of morbidity and mortality—including self-destructive behaviors and suicide. We argue that a close reading of Durkheim’s evidence supports the opposite conclusion and that the incidence of self-destructive behaviors such as suicide is often greatest among those with high levels of social integration. A reexamination of Durkheim’s data on female suicide and suicide in the military suggests that we should be skeptical about recent studies connecting improved population health to social capital (Kushner and Sterk 2005).”

2006-12-06. Ferroni, Marco. 2006. “Social Capital and Social Cohesion: Definition and Measurement.” Medicion de la Calidad de Vida. (IDB) Sustainable Development Department. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington DC. Taller de Consulta sobre. December 8. PowerPoint Presentation. .

2007 “In recent years, there has been an intense public and policy debate about ethnic diversity, community cohesion, and immigration in Britain and other societies worldwide. In addition, there has been a growing preoccupation with the possible dangers to social cohesion represented by growing immigration flows and ethnic diversity. This paper proposes a critical framework for assessing the links between immigration, social cohesion, and social capital. It argues that the concept of social capital is episodic, socially constructed and value-based, depending on the prevailing ideological climate. Considerations of social capital as a public policy tool to achieve social cohesion need to incorporate an appreciation of alternative conceptions of social capital rooted in a textured under-standing of immigrant processes and migration contexts (Cheong et al. 2007).”

2008-08-29 The theme of the 32nd annual conference of the Association for Baha’i Studies is Religion and Social Cohesion.” The past decade has witnessed a resurgence of interest in the role that religion can play as a source of social conflict, on the one hand, and a force of social cohesion on the other.  The roots of the term religion – a force of social cohesion.  In this regard, religion continues to play a primary role in identity formation even as it reaches to the deepest wells of human commitment and motivation.  The Bahá’í Faith, while acknowledging abuses and corruptions of the religious impulse, “declares the purpose of religion to be the promotion of amity and concord, proclaims its essential harmony with science, and recognizes it as the foremost agency for the pacification and the orderly progress of human society. Recent expressions of religious intolerance, conflict and violence have caused leaders of thought, policy makers, and academics to ponder if, or how, religion can play a more constructive role in processes of social integration.  How can this force that binds people together, shapes human identities, and reaches to the depths of human motivation, be aligned with the construction of a peaceful, just, and sustainable social order in an age of increasing interdependence among the world’s diverse peoples? These are themes that will be explored at the 32nd annual conference of the North American Association for Bahá’í Studies.  New and experienced presenters and participants, from all backgrounds and disciplines, are welcome.  Possible topics for presentation might include, but are not limited to: the role of the global plans of the Bahá’í community in promoting social cohesion; implications of a Bahá’í culture of learning for processes of social integration; the critique of religion articulated within the “new atheist” discourse of Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, and others; social cohesion, public policy, and effective governance; processes of social integration and disintegration; the religious construction of social reality; the psychology of human motivation and identity formation; religion in social development; the forces of attraction and the science of cohesion; and the sources of, and solutions to, religious conflict (source ?).”

 

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Non-involvement in partisan politics

November 30, 2023


  • Question posed to ChatGPT: If someone wants to avoid engaging in partisan politics but is concerned about the possibility of certain politicians getting elected or re-elected, there are several steps they can take to stay informed and prepared:
    • Stay Informed and Educated:
      • Keep yourself informed about current events and political developments without necessarily aligning with a specific party. Focus on understanding policies, issues, and potential consequences.
    • Diversify News Sources:
      • Consume news from a variety of sources to avoid bias and gain a more comprehensive understanding of different perspectives. This can help you form a more balanced and informed opinion.
    • Critical Thinking:
      • Develop strong critical thinking skills to assess information critically. This includes fact-checking, questioning assumptions, and being aware of potential biases in media coverage.
    • Civic Engagement:
      • Engage in civic activities that promote understanding and cooperation. Attend community meetings, participate in local events, and contribute positively to your community.
    • Understand the Political System:
      • Educate yourself on the political system and how it works. This includes understanding the checks and balances in place and how policies are formulated and implemented.
    • Advocate for Transparency:
      • Support transparency in government. Advocate for open access to information, government accountability, and ethical behaviour from public officials.
    • Encourage Civil Discourse:
      • Promote civil discourse and respectful conversations about political issues. Encourage open dialogue rather than divisive debates.
    • Vote in Local Elections:
      • While avoiding partisan politics, participating in local elections can have a significant impact on your community. Focus on candidates’ qualifications, positions, and track records rather than party affiliations.
    • Be Involved in Nonpartisan Organizations:
      • Join or support [[nonpartisan organizations]] that focus on issues you care about. These groups often work to influence policy without aligning with a specific political party.
    • Prepare for Potential Changes:
      • Be aware of potential policy changes that may affect you. Understand how these changes might impact your life and be prepared to adapt or advocate for your interests if needed.
  • Remember that political landscapes can change, and it’s essential to stay adaptable and engaged without necessarily aligning with a particular party. Being an informed and active citizen can contribute to a more resilient and responsive political system.
Posted by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
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My early adventures with OpenAI GPT-3 Chat

January 19, 2023


I first became aware of GPT-3 technology in late spring or summer of 2020. San Francisco-based OpenAI engineers and researchers were comparing GPT-3’s capacity to that of its predecessor.(Brown 2020:14) CNBC described the lab as backed by Elon Musk.(Shead 2020)

On 17 January 2023, an 11-year old boy showed me his Q&A in the “playground” version. Within minutes he had the app installed on my PC along with its companion for images.

The first time I used it was to reword a sentence in a document I was citing. I experimented with a number of questions, voted thumbs up or down on answers, provided feedback, reworded questions, and checked search engines for the reliable sources Chat does not provide. It was a bit like that feeling the first time you experiment with HTML or a search engine.

I asked GPT-Chat to reword the phrase, “the sector grew a third faster than the Canadian economy as a whole” which was the exact wording of the original document.. The app suggested, the sector “experienced a growth rate that was one-third higher than the overall economy”. I published the result at 1:44 on 18 January 2023. I later changed it to “The sector experienced a growth rate that was one-third higher than Canada’s overall economy from 2010 to 2017.”

  • Me: All environmental and clean technology activities accounted for what percentage of Canada’s gross domestic product in 2019?
  • GPT-3 Chat Answer: I’m sorry, I don’t have the exact percentage of Canada’s GDP that environmental and clean technology activities accounted for in 2019. However, I can tell you that the clean technology sector has been growing in recent years and is considered a key part of Canada’s economy. According to the Canadian clean technology industry report 2020, the clean technology sector has grown by 4.5% annually over the past five years, and the country’s clean technology exports reached $10.5 billion in 2019. The Canadian government has also been investing in clean technology and renewable energy, and has set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy.

I entered “Canadian clean technology industry report 2020 $10.5 billion in 2019” in BRAVE’s search engine which resulted in a link to a 29 January 2020 Business Insider article entitle, “Private investors poured $10.5 billion into clean energy in 2019. But this is not specific to Canada.

Key words “Canada’s clean technology exports reached $10.5 billion in 2019” search results led to Statistics Canada’s, The Daily Annual Survey of Environmental Goods and Services, 2019 which said that, “Canadian businesses sold $18.9 billion worth of environmental and clean technology goods in 2019, while sales of related services amounted to $10.2 billion. If waste management services are included, the total revenue from sales of environmental and clean technology services rises to $18.5 billion.”

When asked to reword a sentence, GPT-3 Chat generated “renewable energy refers to energy sources that are replenished naturally and at a rate that is equal to or faster than the rate at which they are utilized.” I later found this sentence in a NRCAN document, “Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished at a rate that is equal or faster than the rate at which they are consumed.”

I noticed that GPT-3 adds more details in its suggested rewording of a phrase and includes things that were not in the original text, making it inaccurate and unreliable. But if you search those suggestions, one by one, to find reliable sources, it can be helpful in developing a topic or providing answers to questions. Is it faster or better than a search engine?

It is particularly easy to find reliable sources when the app provides numerical data with dates, etc.

Some interesting outcomes in my first 24 hours with the technology, is the way in which timelines generated by GPT-3 technology includes dates of projected goals: “2050: The government announces that Canada has achieved net-zero emissions.”

It is a bit like the bots operated by humans that perform a multitude of mundane editing corrections. I thank them every time, sometimes just because it is so helpful that others are improving something I am working on without even being asked.

I feel like I want to thank the OpenAI GPT-3 Chat every time its answers are really useful, even if they are not ready for publication. I want to give it a name, like you would a pet dog or cat.

Even that makes me pause.

Some of the concerns raised and criticism related to the technology are valid. The implications are impossible to imagine at this point.

But is isn’t going to go away.

The free playgrounds may become fenced in. With a paywall surrounding it, many of us may be on the outside peeking in. Some of us will feel a profound sense of loss if and when that happens.

So for now, I want to take full advantage of this free technology. I will have to be extra attentive to the seductive ways in which I can be lulled into accepting text that is not quite accurate as a short cut for producing content. The price would be that my future self on reading the content, if left unchallenged and unchanged, would also be deceived by what my present self allowed to become published and public.

Wikipedia in itself is not a reliable source. When inline citations to reliable sources are provided, the encyclopedia can help answer some questions and help the reader generate more questions. Wikipedia and OpenAI GPT-3 Chat can be useful tools in the lifelong learning process, as long as the human mind never ceases to engage in critical thinking, to ask the questions, Who wrote that and when? What sources informed their knowledge claim? How do we know they are reliable and up-to-date? In the case of GPT-3 technologies, the question changes to, “What are the reliable sources in the genealogies of knowledge claims that GPT-3 generated?” It is a bit like reverse engineering.

The 1999 Bahá’í International Community (BIC) document on the state of human society, Who Is Writing the Future?, said that access to education to the masses in countries had accelerated in the twentieth century. In the international community, the “World Bank, government agencies, major foundations and several branches of the United Nations system” contributed to this acceleration. The authors said that the second significant factor to advancement in learning was the explosion in “information technology”. These new technologies have “made all of the earth’s inhabitants potential beneficiaries of the whole of the race’s learning.”

References

Posted by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
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