Herod the Great was a client king of the Romans and his loyalty to the Empire is unquestioned. He demonstrated his innovative and imaginative approach to building at Herodium. He brought to Judea architectural and tec...Herod the Great was a client king of the Romans and his loyalty to the Empire is unquestioned. He demonstrated his innovative and imaginative approach to building at Herodium. He brought to Judea architectural and technical inventions that transformed building practices. There is ample evidence of his unique ability to plan and build a complex multi-functional site, to mould the landscape to his will and to blend architectural forms from Roman, Hellenistic and traditional norms into an Herodian standard. He was a builder king who understood engineering and architecture. He was creative and practical and above all he demanded the highest quality from his builders. His perpetual monument at Herodium has survived for over two thousand years due to Herod＇s skill and ingenuity, a tribute to his innovative approach to building.展开更多
The article aims to rethink the pluralistic intellectual currents and social changes of the last centuries in China： How literati reacted to the historical changes, the economic developments, the collapse of the hier...The article aims to rethink the pluralistic intellectual currents and social changes of the last centuries in China： How literati reacted to the historical changes, the economic developments, the collapse of the hierarchical order, and the social mobility from the end of the Ming to the middle of the Qing dynasty. Urbanisation, the great silver inflow, the acceleration of trade, and social mobility raised new challenges to the orthodox view of the world and to Neo-Confucian norms. These new attitudes of the Chinese literati--which can be inferred both from literary and philosophical works--uncover new attitudes in the mental structure of the intellectual strata of the time. In the history of ideas we notice a progressive detachment from the orthodox view of the conflictual relationship between principle and desires, especially in the ambit of the Taizhou school. The elaboration of a new anthropological mindset aimed at the rehabilitation of passions and desires culminated with Li Zhi. This trend went on in the Qing period, from Wang Fuzhi to Dai Zhen. In literature, a similar trend, the so-called ＂cult of qing,＂ can be found with the moral justification of emotion-desire （establishing emotion as a genuine and active source of virtue）, and with the vitalistic identification of emotions as the source of life and reproduction. Another indication of change is the challenge of common and accepted truisms through the praise of ＂folly＂ in real life situations and literary works： To be ＂crazy＂ and ＂foolish＂ became a sign of distinction among certain intellectual circles, in contrast with the pedant orthodox scholars and officials and the vulgar nouveaux ziches. The unconventional character of the anti-hero Baoyu is emblematic, with his aversion for any kind of official ceremony and convention, his abnormal sensibility and impractical and naive mentality, and his consciousness of being different from others. The crisis of the established ladder of values can be seen in the exaltation of ＂amoral＂ wisdom and in the presentation of various dimensions of love, from the idealistic sentiment of ＂the talented student and the beautiful girl＂ to the metaphysical passion that overcomes death, and to the minimalist concept of＂loveis like food＂ in a carpe diem perspective. And finally another challenge is exemplified by Yuan Mei＇s reflections on the concept of Heavenly Mandate, retribution, human responsibility, and historical constructions by resorting to ＂abnormal＂ phenomena to uncover the absurdity of reality and unconscious imagery. His questions testify the polyphonic debates of the late imperial China, besides established conventions and Neo-Confucian orthodoxy.展开更多
The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swis...The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. This contribution challenges that narrative for overlooking, or being ignorant of, the way that societies around the world have approached the matter of the captured enemy fighter. Traces of some of the critical principles about humane treatment that we see in our present law can actually be found in much older societies from outside of Europe. A more accurate and representative way of understanding humanitarianism in the treatment of captured enemy fighters can and must be crafted, with the prevailing Euro-centric account balanced with practices, cultures and faiths from elsewhere. The quest to achieve more humane treatment in armed conflict is first and foremost a battle of the intellect. Narratives and conceptualisations that are more inclusive, recognising and appreciating of the ways of the rest of the world are likely to be more effective in communicating humanitarian ideals. This work adopts a new method of approaching the richness and diversity of the treatment of captured enemy fighters over time and space. This new framework of analysis uses six cross-cutting themes to facilitate a broader international and comparative perspective, and develop a more sophisticated level of understanding. The first theme is how older and indigenous societies approached the matter of captured enemy fighters. The second focuses on religions of the world, and what they teach or require. The third section examines the matter of martial practices and codes of ethics for combatants in certain societies. The fourth category engages with colonisation and decolonisation, and regulation （or non-regulation） of the treatment of captives of war. Fifth is the issue of modernisation and the impact it has had on armed forces and fighters, including on the treatment of captives. The final issue is the shift towards formalised agreements, beginning with the first bilateral agreements and then the multilateral codification exercise that began in the mid-19th century and continues to this day. This framework for analysis leads into a final chapter, presenting a fresh and holistic view on the evolution of prisoner of war protections in the international order. It provides a different way of looking at International Humanitarian Law, starting with this effort at a global understanding of the treatment of captured enemy fighters.展开更多
文摘Herod the Great was a client king of the Romans and his loyalty to the Empire is unquestioned. He demonstrated his innovative and imaginative approach to building at Herodium. He brought to Judea architectural and technical inventions that transformed building practices. There is ample evidence of his unique ability to plan and build a complex multi-functional site, to mould the landscape to his will and to blend architectural forms from Roman, Hellenistic and traditional norms into an Herodian standard. He was a builder king who understood engineering and architecture. He was creative and practical and above all he demanded the highest quality from his builders. His perpetual monument at Herodium has survived for over two thousand years due to Herod＇s skill and ingenuity, a tribute to his innovative approach to building.
文摘The article aims to rethink the pluralistic intellectual currents and social changes of the last centuries in China： How literati reacted to the historical changes, the economic developments, the collapse of the hierarchical order, and the social mobility from the end of the Ming to the middle of the Qing dynasty. Urbanisation, the great silver inflow, the acceleration of trade, and social mobility raised new challenges to the orthodox view of the world and to Neo-Confucian norms. These new attitudes of the Chinese literati--which can be inferred both from literary and philosophical works--uncover new attitudes in the mental structure of the intellectual strata of the time. In the history of ideas we notice a progressive detachment from the orthodox view of the conflictual relationship between principle and desires, especially in the ambit of the Taizhou school. The elaboration of a new anthropological mindset aimed at the rehabilitation of passions and desires culminated with Li Zhi. This trend went on in the Qing period, from Wang Fuzhi to Dai Zhen. In literature, a similar trend, the so-called ＂cult of qing,＂ can be found with the moral justification of emotion-desire （establishing emotion as a genuine and active source of virtue）, and with the vitalistic identification of emotions as the source of life and reproduction. Another indication of change is the challenge of common and accepted truisms through the praise of ＂folly＂ in real life situations and literary works： To be ＂crazy＂ and ＂foolish＂ became a sign of distinction among certain intellectual circles, in contrast with the pedant orthodox scholars and officials and the vulgar nouveaux ziches. The unconventional character of the anti-hero Baoyu is emblematic, with his aversion for any kind of official ceremony and convention, his abnormal sensibility and impractical and naive mentality, and his consciousness of being different from others. The crisis of the established ladder of values can be seen in the exaltation of ＂amoral＂ wisdom and in the presentation of various dimensions of love, from the idealistic sentiment of ＂the talented student and the beautiful girl＂ to the metaphysical passion that overcomes death, and to the minimalist concept of＂loveis like food＂ in a carpe diem perspective. And finally another challenge is exemplified by Yuan Mei＇s reflections on the concept of Heavenly Mandate, retribution, human responsibility, and historical constructions by resorting to ＂abnormal＂ phenomena to uncover the absurdity of reality and unconscious imagery. His questions testify the polyphonic debates of the late imperial China, besides established conventions and Neo-Confucian orthodoxy.
文摘The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. This contribution challenges that narrative for overlooking, or being ignorant of, the way that societies around the world have approached the matter of the captured enemy fighter. Traces of some of the critical principles about humane treatment that we see in our present law can actually be found in much older societies from outside of Europe. A more accurate and representative way of understanding humanitarianism in the treatment of captured enemy fighters can and must be crafted, with the prevailing Euro-centric account balanced with practices, cultures and faiths from elsewhere. The quest to achieve more humane treatment in armed conflict is first and foremost a battle of the intellect. Narratives and conceptualisations that are more inclusive, recognising and appreciating of the ways of the rest of the world are likely to be more effective in communicating humanitarian ideals. This work adopts a new method of approaching the richness and diversity of the treatment of captured enemy fighters over time and space. This new framework of analysis uses six cross-cutting themes to facilitate a broader international and comparative perspective, and develop a more sophisticated level of understanding. The first theme is how older and indigenous societies approached the matter of captured enemy fighters. The second focuses on religions of the world, and what they teach or require. The third section examines the matter of martial practices and codes of ethics for combatants in certain societies. The fourth category engages with colonisation and decolonisation, and regulation （or non-regulation） of the treatment of captives of war. Fifth is the issue of modernisation and the impact it has had on armed forces and fighters, including on the treatment of captives. The final issue is the shift towards formalised agreements, beginning with the first bilateral agreements and then the multilateral codification exercise that began in the mid-19th century and continues to this day. This framework for analysis leads into a final chapter, presenting a fresh and holistic view on the evolution of prisoner of war protections in the international order. It provides a different way of looking at International Humanitarian Law, starting with this effort at a global understanding of the treatment of captured enemy fighters.
