Nordicum-Mediterraneum

March 2009
Volume 4, Number 1

Colin Pearce, Lessons for Liberalism: Lord Brougham's Philosophy of Italian Politics

In this paper I attempt to give an historically accurate statement of the fundamentals of Henry Peter Brougham, First Baron Brougham and Vaux's (1778-1867) political philosophy and to show how he seeks guidance in his development of this philosophy from the materials of history in general and Italian history in particular. The article seeks to explain Brougham's view that history should be written in a "non-historicist," "objective," "absolutist" and "judgmental" manner and that this position is linked to his belief that there are rationally demonstrable supreme objects of legitimate government which can be shown to be obligatory on all governments at all times however much the prevailing historical conditions may limit or condition actual practical choices. Brougham will be shown to be a proponent of representative, popular government over an extended territory as the best means to attaining the legitimate objects of government in the form of domestic order and external security. Brougham comes to this conclusion while being aware of the great advantages to be had from the absolute rule of one wise and virtuous monarch and the necessity for a purely democratic constitution when the conditions of public enlightenment and social advancement have reached their apogee. In outlining this portrait the article indicates some of the connecting links between Brougham's thought and that of both ancient and modern political philosophers as it was known to him. We find in Brougham a certain blend or melding of various strands within the tradition of liberal thought which as a central figure in the politics of the British Empire during the first third of the nineteenth century he was able to advance on the practical level. It is the hope of this article to contribute in some small way to the re-discovery of a heretofore undeservedly neglected or at least underestimated historical figure.
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Dan Pranab, Guhathakurta Kousik and Gupta Shatadru, Modelling for Industrial Land Acquisition for SEZ

Emergence of a new operational paradigm in the form of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and acquisition of industrial land therefore is one of the most controversial issues in India and a debatable issue in some parts in Asia in recent times. There is no doubt that it will lead to rapid industrial and economic growth. But the process of development is under question as local agitations against acquisition of land for the purpose have turned violent. Understanding the condition is important for the host country as well as the nations of Europe and the USA sourcing considerable amount of FDI flow. In this paper, we propose a model for industrial land acquisition which provides for rehabilitation of those displaced outside the perimeter of the SEZ, so that the appreciation of land price accrues to them and the land owner becomes a part of the prosperity that the project generates.
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Giuliano D'Amico, Black Metal, Literature and Mythology. The Case of Cornelius Jakhelln.

The article investigates the production of writer and musician Cornelius Jakhelln, with particular focus on the use of literary and mythological material in his black metal band Solefald. Conversely, the article also tries to show how Jakhelln's books of poetry and prose share ideas with Solefald's albums and the black metal genre - a form of music which has so far hardly been the object of scholarly interest.
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Hans Bakker, Peirce's Wagers: Pragmaticism, Semiotics, and Theisms

This essay transforms Pascal's Wager into Peirce's Wagers. Pascal did not consider the question from a Semiotic perspective. Belief in a meaningful universe may be a matter of more than a one time decision by an isolated individual. When we act in the world we make "wagers." We "bet" that life is meaningful and that in some sense "God" does exist. C. S. Peirce's approach to epistemology can be read to imply a "scientific" approach to everyday life questions. Essentially, Peirce takes the scientific method as a standard for all activities. We make decisions on the basis of what we think we know. We "experiment." An understanding of the function of religious institutions helps to consolidate this Peircean Pragmatist notion.
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J. Fred Humphrey, Self-Interest and the Common Good in Book I of Homer's Iliad

If you recall Homer's Iliad, you will remember that the poem, as we are often told, is the story of the Trojan War. The mythological background of the war is tied to a most unlikely source - namely, "the judgment of Paris." All the gods and goddesses, according to the poets, with the exception Eris (the goddess of strife or discord), were invited to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. When Eris tried to attend the celebration, she was turned away. To spite those who had denied her entrance, Eris tossed a golden apple inscribed with the words, "To the Fairest," amongst the goddesses attending the wedding festivities.
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Nicola Ciprotti, Hintikka on Descartes's Cogito

In the early Sixties Jaakko Hintikka wrote a couple of papers devoted to arguing that Descartes's saying 'cogito ergo sum' is not, contrary to well-established opinion, a deductive inference built upon contingent facts of the matter, but rather a necessarily self-verifying statement of existence. The paper purports to show that, even when read according to Hintikka's interpretation, 'cogito ergo sum' admits of a counterexample, and thus accomplishes much less than it is commonly taken to do by foundationalist programmes in epistemology.
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by Edward H. Huijbens, Arntzen, S. and Brady, E. (eds.) 2008: Humans in the land. The ethics and aesthetics of the cultural landscape. Oslo: Unipub.
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by Egill Arnarson, Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen. Urban Life and Local Politics in Roman Bithynia. The Small World of Dion Chrysostomos. (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, Black Sea Studies 7, 2008)
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by Francesco Milazzo, Filippo Marotta Rizzo, Lu scavittu e altre novelle, with prefaces by Titta Scidà and Carlo Marullo di Condojanni (Catania: Maimone, 2004), pp. 79.
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by Garrett Barden, Robin Lane Fox. The Classical World: an Epic History of Greece and Rome. (Penguin Books, London, 2006, pp. xvi & 703)
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by Geir Þórarinsson, Kenneth Dorter, The Transformation of Plato's Republic (Lexington Books, 2006),395 pp.
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by Giorgio Baruchello, Francesco Giacomantonio, Il discorso sociologico della tarda modernità. Individui, identità e democrazia [The sociological discourse of late modernity. Individuals, identity and democracy] (Genova: il melangolo, 2007).
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by Guðmundur H. Frímansson, Niall Scott and Jonathan Seglow. Altruism. (Maidenhead, Open University Press, 2007)
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by Michael Staunton, The Archaeology of Medieval Europe. Vol. 1. Eighth to Twelfth Centuries AD edited by James Graham-Campbell with Magdalena Valor. (Aarhus University Press, 2008)
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by Monica Quirico, Kjell Östberg, I takt med tiden. Olof Palme 1927-1969.(Stockholm, Leopard, 2008, pp. 427)
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by Nino Milazzo, Gábor Hamza, Le développement du droit privé européen. Le rôle de la tradition romaniste dans la formation du droit privé moderne (Budapest : Biblioteca Iuridica of Eötvös Loránd University, 2005).
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by Raimund Feld, Monica Quirico, Il socialismo davanti alla realtà. Il modello svedese (1990-2006), (Roma: Editori Riuniti University Press, 2007)
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Dario Giansanti e Stefano Mazza, Snorri Sturluson in Italy: An Interview With Dario Giansanti and Stefano Mazza
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Federico Actite, Ancient Rome and Icelandic Culture - A Brief Overview
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Maurizio Tani, Writing with the waters. An interview with Triestine author Claudio Magris
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Fabrizio Veneziano, Note from the Webmaster
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