The question of how politics and ethics connect, if at all, in our societies is crucial, especially given today’s socio-economic and geopolitical challenges. Commentators have sought answers in Kant’s texts: the relation between the Categorical Imperative (CI) as the fundamental principle of ethics, and the Universal Principle of Right (UPR) as the fundamental principle of politico-legal norms, has been variously interpreted as one of simple dependence, simple independence, or complex dependence. Recent interpretations increasingly agree that Kant was not a simple independentist. However, questions persist about the philosophical significance of Kant’s account, specifically whether certain aspects of his thought inconsistently commit him to simple independentism. One aim of this chapter is to illustrate this critical strategy starting from a specific interpretation of the UPR. It is argued that, although robust, this interpretation is not the most accurate. While this strategy opens new avenues for further objections to Kant, the chapter concludes that the complex dependentist reading is philosophically the most convincing to date.

This chapter traces the long history of critical arguments that frame Henry Fielding’s interpolated tales as feminized “freckles” and “blemishes” that mar his otherwise masculine plots. Taking the much-squabbled about “History of Leonora” from Joseph Andrews (1742) as a case study, I examine the interpretive dilemmas posed by a tale that purports not only to speak across the gender binary but across an ossified, almost caricatured gender binary. My close reading of “The History of Leonora” contends with its intertextuality, likely joint authorship with Sarah Fielding, and structuring around negative space. Based on this body of evidence, I argue that a singularly nuanced female subjectivity emerges from the clash of tale-narrator, heroine, and spiteful town gossips, all of them women whose talking about women enables a critique of the social possibilities open to them – one that shimmies free space for alternatives to reflexively binary thinking.

Extensive source materials allow for a close look at the familial, artistic, and social networks that Clara Schumann built up over the course of her career, and by which she was supported. In this chapter, her mother, Mariane Bargiel (1797–1872), and her father, Friedrich Wieck (1785–1873), are discussed as representing separate branches of the family, as the parents divorced when Clara was not yet five years old. Both remarried and formed new families, from which Clara acquired half-siblings. With her marriage to Robert Schumann (1810–1856) in 1840, Clara added her husband’s birth family to her familial networks. Throughout her life, Clara strove to continue and develop these networks through her letters and visits, and above all, through her teaching activities with various family members.

This chapter examines the complex relationship between declining trust, increasing ethnic diversity, and immigration in contemporary societies. Exploring psychological mechanisms such as stereotypes, prejudices, intergroup contact, and perceived threat, the chapter reveals how diversity can challenge and foster societal trust under certain conditions. Theories, including social identity, realistic conflict, and contact hypothesis, illustrate how intergroup perceptions shape trust, especially when natives view immigrants through lenses of ingroup/outgroup distinctions, competition, and cultural threat. While stereotypes and prejudices often undermine trust, structured intergroup contact has shown potential to counteract these adverse effects. Furthermore, the chapter argues that policies promoting inclusive intergroup interaction, equal treatment in labor markets, and educational initiatives can cultivate mutual understanding and trust. By aligning immigration and social policies with these insights, societies can mitigate trust erosion and create a foundation for social cohesion amidst increasing diversity.

The chapter presents the diversity and mechanisms of climate variability during the late Quaternary interglacials. It begins by describing the nomenclature of interglacials and the difficulties associated with accurately defining their durations. The mechanisms of climate variability during interglacials are explored, with particular emphasis on the role of orbital forcing. The rest of the chapter outlines three of the most prominent late Quaternary interglacials – MIS 11, the Eemian interglacial and the Holocene. The cause for the long duration of MIS 11 is described. The patterns of climate change and the cause for the high sea level during the Eemian interglacial are linked to a strong orbital forcing. The climate variability during the Holocene, including the cold 8.2k event and the “green Sahara” phenomenon, is examined. The comparison between several interglacial periods with weak orbital forcing and their differences is explained using the concept of the critical insolation-CO2 relationship.

This chapter examines the US and Canadian government’s programs that allow for the sanctioning of countries as State Sponsors of Terrorism. The chapter also provides views into why countering countries engaged in state sponsorship of terrorism efforts are so difficult to counter.

The rapid development of data analytics, computational power, and machine/deep learning algorithms has driven artificial intelligence (AI) applications to every sphere of society, with significant economic, legal, ethical, and political ramifications. A growing body of literature has explored critical dimensions of AI governance, yet few touch upon issue areas that directly resonate with the diverse context and dynamics of the non-Western world, particularly Asia. This chapter therefore aims to fill the gap by offering a contextual discussion of how Asian jurisdictions perceive and respond to the challenges posed by AI, as well as how they interact with each other through regulatory cross-referencing, learning, and competition. Premised upon an analysis of the diverse regulatory approaches shaped by respective political, legal, and socioeconomic contexts in such jurisdictions, this chapter identifies how Inter-Asian Law has emerged in AI governance in the forms of regulatory cross-referencing, joint efforts, and cooperation through regional forums and points to potential venues for normative interactions, dialogue, best practices exchanges, and the co-development of AI governance.