Divination as a Way of Knowing: Embodiment,Visualisation, Narrative,and Interpretation

Divination, which is a way of exploring the unknown, has been practised worldwide for millennia. It involves complementary modes of cognition associated with representational and presentational symbolism. Wherever a theory of divination has been carefully elicited from practitioners of the art, there is a recognition of overlapping inductive, intuitive and interpretative narrative techniques and ways of knowing. In any society in which mechanical divinatory procedures are combined with visualisation or bursts of intuition, researchers should be able to empirically investigate this cognitive-embodied field of practical mastery. This investigation, in turn, ought to enable them to develop meditative empathy towards acts of divination as well as a sophisticated theory of divinatory practice.     

A Hierarchical Migration Model of Population Redistribution within a Central Place Hierarchy

A simple hierarchical migration model is proposed as a mechanism for the redistribution of population within a Christaller central place hierarchy. Given a predefined functional hierarchy, the migration process causes any initial population distribution to converge to an equilibrium distribution. Under certain special conditions, the equilibrium is identical to a central place population distribution derived from economic base concepts.     

Nettle Fibre: Its Prospects,Uses and Problems in Historical Perspective

Abstract

The stinging nettle plant (Urtica dioica L.) is perhaps best known as an abundant and perennial weed, but throughout history it has been used as a source of fibre in many parts of the world. This paper explores the potential uses of nettle fibre within a historical context and describes efforts made by the German and UK governments to cultivate and process the fibre for special war purposes during World War I and II. There has recently been a revival of interest in this fascinating fibre, and recent attempts to commercialise production are discussed.     

Economic and Social Thinking at the UN in Historical Perspective

This article begins to examine the history of economic and social ideas launched or nurtured by the United Nations (UN). In 1999, the United Nations Intellectual History Project was initiated, to analyse the UN as an intellectual actor, and to shed light on the role of the UN system in creating knowledge and in influencing international policy‐making: this article is based on the first five books and the oral histories from that Project. The starting point is that ideas may be the most important legacy of the UN for human rights, economic and social development, as well as for peace and security. For the authors, this ‘intellectual history’ provides a way to explore the origins of particular ideas; trace their course within institutions, scholarship, and discourse; and in some cases evaluate the impact of ideas on policy and action.     

论美国法形成的历史轨迹

美国法是英国普通法的美国化,它的形成始于殖民地时期,完成于19世纪70年代。其间,美国法从最初对英国普通法的排斥逐步转为对其加以吸收和改造,并最终形成了适应美国社会发展的法律形式和观念。因此,从总体上讲,美国法并未游离出普通法的框架之外,而是保留了普通法的精髓,成为普通法系的重要组成部分。     

信仰与历史的互动：犹太历史发展的神学思考

本文从神学角度探讨犹太民族历史发展的内在动因,认为犹太民族独特的神权历史观是促成其民族从流散到回归、从分散到集中的根本原因;信仰与历史的互动促成了犹太民族的产生、发展和强盛,信仰与历史的互动是犹太精神的内核和实质。时至今日,以色列国的复兴在很大程度上讲也是信仰与历史互动的产物。     

The Eternal Quest for a Place in the Sun

Books reviewed:
Alessandro Brogi, A Question of Self-Esteem: The United States and the Cold War Choices in France and Italy , 1944 – 1958 (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2002). 336 pp. $99.95 (cloth).
Jeffrey Glen Giauque, G rand Designs and Visions of Unity: The Atlantic Powers and the Reorganization of Western Europe , 1955 – 1963 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002). 344 pp. Notes, index. $49.95 (cloth), $19.95 (paper).     

安克斯密特历史经验理论——历史哲学的新视角

安克斯密特自20世纪80年代便开始了对历史经验理论相关问题的思考,在90年代及以后的一系列著作和文章中对历史经验理论进行了较为系统的论述。安克斯密特将历史经验分为主观的历史经验、客观的历史经验和崇高的历史经验三种类型,他最为推崇崇高的历史经验。历史经验最为明显的特征是它促使过去从当前分离出去,从而导致历史意识和历史编纂的产生;而历史经验又会通过超越过去与现在的距离或差异,去恢复到过去从当前分离出去之前的状态。安克斯密特的历史经验理论反映了当代哲学、历史哲学以及史学实践领域的变化,企图促成历史哲学的新转向,弥补历史哲学与史学实践之间的隔膜。