Suchergebnisse

Für Thomas G. Masaryk (1850-1937), den ersten Präsident der ersten tschechoslowakischen Republik, ist Demokratie eine »Welt- und Lebensauffassung«. Zwi Batscha entfaltet die Weite und Vielschichtigkeit des dieser Auffassung zugrundeliegenden philosophisch-politischen Demokratiebegriffs: eine fundamentaldemokratische Einstellung, die sich von einer auf Philosophie und Wissenschaft gegründeten Weltanschauung über die Geschichtsphilosophie und Verfassungstheorie bis hin zu den zwischenmenschlichen und moralischen Beziehungen auf alle möglichen Bereiche erstreckt. Qualitativ - so Batscha - ist das Oeuvre Masaryks der schottischen Moralphilosophie, den französischen Enzyklopädisten und der deutschen Popularphilosophie zuzuordnen, die alle lebensgestaltend wirken wollten und die Bedeutung des Verstandes, der Toleranz und der Humanität betonten.

In recent decades the rate and extent of urbanisation has increased markedly and the majority of the world's people now live in urban areas. These trends are clearly apparent in low and middle income countries, particularly those in South and East Asia (World Bank recent list of LMIC by region). Much of this urban growth is relatively unplanned and has increased the vulnerability of the urban population to the increasing risk of natural disasters and extreme weather events. In addition, vulnerability is further aggravated by other risk factors such as widespread poverty and illiteracy, population migration, increased population density, poor access to services, inadequate nutrition, and poor water and sanitation.Major gaps exist in information on the interface between urbanisation and natural disasters, especially if the added dimensions of risk, vulnerability and resilience are considered. The concept that the impact of disasters is an outcome of ongoing risk processes interacting with hazards, exposure and vulnerabilities is comparatively recent. It is suggested that there are valuable lessons to be learnt from local level initiatives, people's participation or adaptation of suitable and applicable legislation in the face of such hazards and disasters happening in these cities, countries and regions.

Now that political change is on the way in South Africa, what should be the position of doctors who are invited to visit the country? Does the "academic boycott" still have relevance? Waterston and Zwi review the case for and against an academic boycott policy, using evidence collected during the recent visit by Physicians for Human Rights (UK) and the Johannes Wier Foundation. The health system in South Africa is still inequitable, and despite progress towards desegregation in hospitals there is little momentum towards universal provision of primary health care, especially in the rapidly growing townships around big cities. The authors consider that pressure on the government should be maintained by outside organisations but that support directed towards appropriate health care should be encouraged, particularly in public health and primary health care.

"First delivered in 1974 as one of the Jordan Lectures in Comparative Religion, this book considers and compares traditional or pre-modern and post-traditional or post-modern religions. It assesses the processes as well as the images of change in various cultures - principally Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism - and examines how these religions handle the dialects of rejection, appropriation and integration."--Bloomsbury Publishing