Sebastian Müller, Vanessa Toborek, Eike Stadtländer
et al.
Explainable AI (XAI) offers a growing number of algorithms that aim to answer specific questions about black-box models. What is missing is a principled way to consolidate explanatory information about a fixed black-box model into a persistent, auditable artefact, that accompanies the black-box throughout its life cycle. We address this gap by introducing the notion of a scientific theory of a black (SToBB). Grounded in Constructive Empiricism, a SToBB fulfils three obligations: (i) empirical adequacy with respect to all available observations of black-box behaviour, (ii) adaptability via explicit update commitments that restore adequacy when new observations arrive, and (iii) auditability through transparent documentation of assumptions, construction choices, and update behaviour. We operationalise these obligations as a general framework that specifies an extensible observation base, a traceable hypothesis class, algorithmic components for construction and revision, and documentation sufficient for third-party assessment. Explanations for concrete stakeholder needs are then obtained by querying the maintained record through interfaces, rather than by producing isolated method outputs. As a proof of concept, we instantiate a complete SToBB for a neural-network classifier on a tabular task and introduce the Constructive Box Theoriser (CoBoT) algorithm, an online procedure that constructs and maintains an empirically adequate rule-based surrogate as observations accumulate. Together, these contributions position SToBBs as a life cycle-scale, inspectable point of reference that supports consistent, reusable analyses and systematic external scrutiny.
"Composable Life" is a hybrid project blending design fiction, experiential virtual reality, and scientific research. Through a multi-perspective, cross-media approach to speculative design, it reshapes our understanding of the digital future from AI's perspective. The project explores the hypothetical first suicide of an on-chain artificial life, examining the complex symbiotic relationship between humans, AI, and blockchain technology.
Mark D. Verhagen, Benedikt Stroebl, Tiffany Liu
et al.
For over a century, life course researchers have faced a choice between two dominant methodological approaches: qualitative methods that analyze rich data but are constrained to small samples, and quantitative survey-based methods that study larger populations but sacrifice data richness for scale. Two recent technological developments now enable us to imagine a hybrid approach that combines some of the depth of the qualitative approach with the scale of quantitative methods. The first development is the steady rise of ''complex log data,'' behavioral data that is logged for purposes other than research but that can be repurposed to construct rich accounts of people's lives. The second is the emergence of large language models (LLMs) with exceptional pattern recognition capabilities on plain text. In this paper, we take a necessary step toward creating this hybrid approach by developing a flexible procedure to transform complex log data into a textual representation of an individual's life trajectory across multiple domains, over time, and in context. We call this data representation a ''book of life.'' We illustrate the feasibility of our approach by writing over 100 million books of life covering many different facets of life, over time and placed in social context using Dutch population-scale registry data. We open source the book of life toolkit (BOLT), and invite the research community to explore the many potential applications of this approach.
Life event service is a direct digital public service provided jointly by several governmental institutions so that a person can fulfill all the obligations and use all the rights that arise due to a particular event or situation in personal life. Life event service consolidates several public services related to the same life event into one service for the service consumer. This paper presents an ontological analysis of life event services, which is based on the works by Guarino, Guizzardi, Nardi, Wagner, and others. The purpose of the ontological analysis is to understand the meanings of life event, proactive public service based on life event, and other related notions. This kind of ontological analysis is crucial because for implementing the hardware and software architectures of e-government and digital public services, it is essential to agree upon the precise meanings of the underlying terms.
Romain de Laage, Peterson Yuhala, François-Xavier Wicht
et al.
Secure aggregation enables a group of mutually distrustful parties, each holding private inputs, to collaboratively compute an aggregate value while preserving the privacy of their individual inputs. However, a major challenge in adopting secure aggregation approaches for practical applications is the significant computational overhead of the underlying cryptographic protocols, e.g. fully homomorphic encryption. This overhead makes secure aggregation protocols impractical, especially for large datasets. In contrast, hardware-based security techniques such as trusted execution environments (TEEs) enable computation at near-native speeds, making them a promising alternative for reducing the computational burden typically associated with purely cryptographic techniques. Yet, in many scenarios, parties may opt for either cryptographic or hardware-based security mechanisms, highlighting the need for hybrid approaches. In this work, we introduce several secure aggregation architectures that integrate both cryptographic and TEE-based techniques, analyzing the trade-offs between security and performance.
In the article, for the first time, a comparative analysis of the creative biographies of Kyiv thinkers, pupils and teachers of the Kyiv Theological Academy (1819–1924), Pyotr Kudryavtsev (1868–1940) and Vasyl Ekzemplyarskyi (1875–1933) was carried out. The educational, cultural and historical background of the formation of religious-philosophical and religious-publicist views of Kyiv philosophers is reproduced, the common origin of their creative intuitions is shown. The main similar research ideas, topics and directions of their scientific and educational activity are revealed. The similarity in the interpretation of one of the core ideas of their work – the Christian idea of the kingdom of God – is shown. The origin of this idea in the philosophical worldview of thinkers is admitted, the significance of this idea in their ethical and historicalphilosophical heritage is demonstrated. Both thinkers have distinctly similar interpretations of the themes of religious journalism, the core of which are: religious revival, the relationship between politics and religion and politics and morality, state-church relations in the Russian state, ways of church reformation. The inseparable unity of their philosophical and worldview foundations, theoretical principles with life, the practical implementation of the ideas advocated by the thinkers, which allowed them to preserve the integrity and organicity of their own personality, is shown. It was also demonstrated the importance for the development of philosophical thought of the unique communicative space created by Kyiv academic philosophers, the atmosphere of lively communication, within which similar philosophical and worldview intuitions, value-meaning principles and life guidelines were developed.
This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions.
Aleksandar Arandjelović, Geoffrey Kingston, Pavel V. Shevchenko
We investigate insurance purchases when bequest motives are age-varying and life insurance and life annuities both carry loads. The existing life cycle literature assumes bequests are normal goods without being either necessities or luxuries. Much of the literature also assumes implicitly that life annuity loads are negative. A key finding of the literature is that the demand for life insurance and the demand for life annuities are symmetrical. It is optimal to buy life-contingent insurance throughout life, even under loads. A life annuity phase backs directly onto a life insurance phase. We find that realistic examples with positive loads on both products reveal up to two distinct periods of non-participation, one in midlife and the other adjoining the maximum age. We highlight examples with necessity bequests during child-rearing years and luxury bequests thereafter. This set of assumptions explains why a substantial demand for life insurance during child-rearing years can co-exist with negligible demand for life annuities later on. A realistic 18% load on both products generates this outcome.
Ze Shi Li, Nowshin Nawar Arony, Kezia Devathasan
et al.
User feedback has grown in importance for organizations to improve software products. Prior studies focused primarily on feedback collection and reported a high-level overview of the processes, often overlooking how practitioners reason about, and act upon this feedback through a structured set of activities. In this work, we conducted an exploratory interview study with 40 practitioners from 32 organizations of various sizes and in several domains such as e-commerce, analytics, and gaming. Our findings indicate that organizations leverage many different user feedback sources. Social media emerged as a key category of feedback that is increasingly critical for many organizations. We found that organizations actively engage in a number of non-trivial activities to curate and act on user feedback, depending on its source. We synthesize these activities into a life cycle of managing user feedback. We also report on the best practices for managing user feedback that we distilled from responses of practitioners who felt that their organization effectively understood and addressed their users' feedback. We present actionable empirical results that organizations can leverage to increase their understanding of user perception and behavior for better products thus reducing user attrition.
ABSTRACTThis article is an interview with the writer Christian Lehnert, who is both a theologian and a distinguished German poet. Linguistic precision, the artful use of semantics from the Christian and Jewish traditions, and an associative, surprising imagery are considered the hallmarks of Lehnert's poetics. The interview examines the relationship of his poetry to theology and religion, the tension between religious and non‐religious interpretations of reality and the personal motivations for his writing. The interview focuses on the pronounced references to nature in his poetry and the influence of nature mysticism in his writing. As Lehnert explains, the recourse to pre‐modern theologies of creation enables him to explore an approach to nature in which, in critical distance to a rational‐functional access to nature, the mysteriousness and strangeness of the non‐human other is understood anew, suggesting a deeper connection with other creatures.
According to the American Medical Association, ‘Health care is a fundamental human good because it affects our opportunity to pursue life goals, reduces our pain and suffering, helps prevent premature loss of life, and provides information needed to plan for our lives.’ Christianity is the world’s largest religion and most widely diffused of all faiths stemming from the life teachings of Jesus Christ. Religion, medicine, and healthcare have always been intertwined from history. Dating back throughout the Middle Ages and up to the French Revolution, physicians were often clergy. The first hospital in the West was started by a religious organization and staffed by religious orders. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have concluded that, “Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide. Several studies have shown that addressing the spiritual needs of the patient may enhance recovery from illness.” Jesus Christ in his teachings instructed his followers to heal the sick and since then the early church and Christians practiced practical charity that gave a basis to nursing homes and hospitals. Jews and Christians believed that human worth was predicated on the fact that each person was created in the image and likeness of God, which—for Christians—was directly stated in Matthew 25:40 “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” In recent times, when people are faced with many health issues that medical professionals do not seem to have an answer for, looking outside of the traditional health setting and up to a divine power for healing has been on the rise. A 2018 survey of American physicians and patients suggests that about 64% of physicians believe in the existence of God or a higher power, and more than 90% of patients claimed the same. Jesus in his teachings emphasized the need of treating every human with love, which is why Christian hospitals were established with the main aim of practicing the teachings of Jesus and alleviating suffering of the sick. It is also noted that there is an increase in modern western medicine with the importance of patient spirituality in treatment and healing which must be considered by healthcare professionals while providing care. As for physicians who are rooted in the Christian faith, they would provide care to their patients keeping in mind that they are made in the image of God. Since healing is an art which is personal and human, there is only a limited amount of human intervention which can contribute to its success. When modern medicine and Christian faith is intertwined in patient care, the provider and patient feel a sense of spiritual calmness that contribute to the total healing journey
Introduction. The practical significance of the anthropological concept of the sacred books of world religions is outlined. Four issues are identified, due to which the system of ideas of a concept of a person is reflected in the sacred text, and which are relevant in modern society. Materials and Methods. The object and subject of research are determined, and the main sources on which the research is based are indicated. The main methods are textological, historical hermeneutics, descriptive and comparative historical analysis. Results. The objects of analysis in relation to the Buddhist concept of man are the categories of “samadhi”, “insight”, the doctrine of the five virtues developing in the process of meditation, the doctrine of the essence of the five skandhas. It is shown the influence of these categories on the specifics of solving the main ideological problem – the attitude of a person to the world. In considering the biblical concept of man, the concept of “life” is defined as the key one. The subject of the analysis was the inconsistency of man’s position in the world. It is also shown the importance of ethical teaching for the study of contradictory human nature and determination of the purpose of man. When analyzing the views on the problem of man contained in the Koran, the significance of the idea of human creation and the key importance of the idea of obedience to Allah in understanding the way of life and the system of ethical norms and principles are shown. Discussion and Conclusion. The difference in approaches to the interpretation of the problem of a person in the Tripitaka, the Bible and the Koran is reflected. In Buddhism, the development of supra-natural “subtle principles” through the practice of meditation leading a person to nirvana comes to the fore. In the Christian concept, the fundamental is the idea of the dualism of human existence and the salvation of the soul. Islam develops the concept of initial unconditional obedience to Allah. It is shown the ratio of key categories and ideas related to understanding a person in Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. The attention is drawn to the scope of application of the research results.
This article presents the way John Paul II, the head of the Vatican at the beginning of the third millennium, theologically and philosophically substantiates and establishes the principles of a new humanism through the dialogue between the Church and art as the most personalized sphere of human activity. The conceptual essence of the key idea of the humanizing function of art, in the personalistic philosophy of art of John Paul II is revealed from the methodological standpoint of religious studies. It determines the particular nature and tasks of the renewed dialogue between the Church and artists, aimed to overcome the processes of depersonalization and dehumanization of culture, caused by atheistic humanism and growing increasingly during the 20th century. The author ponders on The Letter of Pope John Paul II to Artists and Towards a Pastoral Approach to Culture, two papal documents. Their appearance on the eve of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity became symbolic. These documents draw attention because, firstly, although the idea of a dialogue between the Church and artists as a way of embodying spiritual values of a new humanism in the theological and philosophical discourse of John Paul II had been formed over several decades, it found its conceptual solution precisely in these two papal documents. Secondly, it is in these two documents that the essence of the cultural policy of the 264th Pope is consistently set forth, meant to overcome the consequences of atheistic humanism and create a new humanism, and thus to overcome the civilizational anthropological crisis and develop a new ideological paradigm of the third millennium.
Katie Cross, from our Editorial Board, writes in a Soap Box article in this issue addressing what practical theology is. She states that it is disparate, a ‘highly ambiguous activity’ without ‘a single, universal definition’ that we can determine. Sometimes the articles that make up an ordinary issue of our journal suggest themes and threads as they connect together, however, for this last issue of 2022 the material is indeed quite disparate, perhaps providing evidence for Cross’ hypothesis. Placing people with autism at the centre of church life, dealing with child witchcraft accusations, Judaeo-Christian responses to Covid-19, pastoral leadership, political preaching and, as noted already, the nature of practical theology itself. It is noteworthy, however, since we don’t often publish what we might call research articles that offer a ‘meta-analysis’ of existing research or writing, that in this issue there are two such contributions. One puts broadly theological material published during the first wave of the Covid19 pandemic in 2020 under a microscope and the other analyses approaches to pastoral leadership arising from published empirical research. While I have been Editor of Practical Theology, it has been noticeable the number of articles we have published reflecting on the theological and ecclesiological questions raised by people with autism. As Léon van Ommen points out what we haven’t had is a case study in an actual ecclesial community from which to learn. Thus in a fascinating description of his research at the Chapel of Christ our Hope in Singapore this gap is eminently filled. People with autism are placed at the centre of the life of the Christian community in a unique way. In some ways, it reminded me of calls from the Child Theology movement to do a similar thing, yet here it is happening! The results are rich and satisfying for everyone – neurotypical and autistic alike. What is most striking is the way the neurotypical are invited to adapt to new paradigm represented by those people with autism in their midst. If only all churches were able to change their culture and behaviour to meet with those joining them who may be different from the prevailing, dominant ethos. What is also remarkable is how this community can hold difference together – especially different views on the nature and meaning of autism in a person and be on a journey together. Perhaps van Ommen’s finding about the way the liturgy operates in this church is a clue to its effectiveness. Some articles that are submitted for consideration in our journal stand out as needing, even demanding to be published. Such is the contribution from Claire Ayelotan drawn from her doctoral research in transnational Yoruba Pentecostalism – an ecclesiological category that is fresh and important in itself. Embedded within these churches is the problem of child witchcraft accusation in which religion and culture come into sharp contrast with the protection of the child. By interviewing leaders on the subject in Pentecostal churches and uncovering an unhelpful eisegesis of a Markan text about exorcism in their discourse, Ayelotan can reach the heart of a deep-seated and abusive problem. She demonstrates clearly that, as is so often the case, the cause of the problem is also the solution. The leaders who abusively advise children to fast can also learn a different way through ministerial formation which addresses, amongst other things a fuller understanding of biblical hermeneutics.
Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel was one of leading voices in the seventeenth-century Jewish world. Living in Amsterdam, he educated and instructed Iberian exiles and their descendants as they returned to Judaism. Focusing on Menasseh’s exhaustive study of scripture, Conciliador, this article analyzes Menasseh’s religious ideas in the context of the spiritual challenges of Amsterdam’s “Portuguese Nation.” I argue that Menasseh generated culturally attuned arguments that stressed the authority of Mosaic law to overwhelmingly individualistic and religiously doubtful former conversos who were long separated from the practice of Rabbinic Judaism. From this vantage point, Menasseh reinterpreted Jewish exile in the context of world history and defended the importance of God’s precepts by discussing longevity and the duration of life. Responding to Christian polemics, he offered positive meaning to his community’s experience of dislocation by adjusting the terms of God’s election to his present-day diasporic condition. Menasseh additionally used natural knowledge, that is, Hippocratic-Galenic medicine and astrology, to persuade former conversos of the practical advantages of Torah. He thus presented a community of Sephardic exiles with what I call in this article a diasporic covenant according to which the practice of Mosaic law made Jews virtuous individuals and prolonged their life, and he stressed that their acceptance among the nations guaranteed good fortune to the tolerant state where they had settled.
The article highlights and analyzes the leading directions of the patriotic life of St. Luka Krymsky (Valentyn Feliksovich Voyno-Yasenetsky), outlines the exceptional mission and gifts of an outstanding surgeon, reveals the theoretical and practical significance of the scientific works of a world-famous scientist, the deep spirituality of theological works, substantiates the essence of the multifaceted life of St. Luka as an important basis for the patriotic upbringing of future teachers. The active life sphere of the personality of St. Luka Krymsky is filled with patriotic acts of service, devotion, loyalty, nobility in relation to his Motherland and acts of sensitivity and mercy in relation to others. Among the leading directions of the patriotic life activity of St. Luka Krymsky are professional-research, moral-theological, pastoral-caring. The professional and research direction of the patriotic activity of Saint Luka Krymskyi (Valentyn Feliksovich Voyno-Yasenetskyi) consisted in selfless service to people and the Motherland as a surgeon with wide specialization and a doctor of medicine. He gained a lot of experience as a zemstvo doctor, later the chief doctor and surgeon of many hospitals during the First and Second World War and peacetime. He became a specialist in purulent surgery. Demonstrated high professionalism, successfully conducted complex operations. He saved the lives and health of thousands of wounded and sick people. In his direct professional activity, he mastered not only surgery, but also obstetrics, gynecology, therapy, and pediatrics. The results of the research and the rich surgical experience of the scientist opened new directions in the field of medicine (regional anesthesia) and have not lost their importance even today. He left a rich scientific legacy. Author of 55 scientific works on anatomy, physiology, anesthesiology, purulent medicine, surgery. He made a significant contribution to the fields of ophthalmology, neurosurgery, military field surgery, abdominal surgery, orthopedics, purulent surgery, and anesthesiology. An outstanding scientist with a world name. During his lifetime, he passed on his rich experience to doctors and students. His legacy as a scientist and practitioner is still the subject of research in various fields, including the theory of clinical diagnosis, medical psychology and deontology, bioethics, urology, health care organization, etc. The moral and theological direction of the patriotic activity of St. Lukza of Krymsky consisted in self-education and the education of fellow countrymen as free and perfect individuals. He went down in history not only as a talented doctor and scientist, but also as an outstanding hierarch. He directed his sermons to foster a humane attitude towards others on the basis of Christian morality. Encouraged to master such moral and spiritual virtues as humility, love, mercy, sensitivity, generosity, devotion, loyalty, truthfulness, honesty, eloquence. He prepared for publication two philosophical and theological works: "Spirit, soul and body" and "Science and religion". He revealed and proved the connections between science and religion, the inseparable metaphysical connections between the human body, soul and spirit, the transcendent spiritual abilities of man and his immortality. He defined the heart as an organ of sensation, cognition, thought and perception of spiritual influences. Based on the materials of the saint's teachings, 12 volumes of his sermons were collected. The pastoral and caring direction of the patriotic activity of St. Luka Krymsky consisted in the spiritual and physical care of those around him. During the times of Soviet power and atheistic propaganda, he took care of the spiritual health of society, energetic development of religious activities. He took the rank of priest, later monastic tonsure and the rank of bishop. Managed many dioceses. He looked after the opening and improvement of temples, defended the rights of believers to free religion, took care of the religious education of adults and children. He carried out active preaching and social activities. Engaged in charity. He organized charity dinners, helped the sick, low-income families, widows and orphans. The proposed article is aimed at organizing such an educational process in institutions of higher education, which would be saturated with ideas of patriotism, which spiritualize students and cause them to understand involvement in all aspects of social life and corresponding care for the improvement of the Motherland.
innocents, her ecclesiology lacks the critical edge necessary for interrogating the deeply embedded patriarchy of the Christian church and its persistent complicity in the structures of empire, colonialism, gender violence, and ecological degradation. This critical edge is especially scarce in Carnes’ too easy adoption of Mariology and the trope of “Mother-Church” ecclesiology, both of which have been rightly critiqued by Catholic feminist theologians for romanticism and reinscription of patriarchal gender norms. Nevertheless, the book as a whole offers a compelling account of motherhood as a journey of spiritual growth and as a viable site of practical wisdom and theological reflection. Standing on its own, or paired with Augustine’s Confessions, it would enrich any class on Christian theology, spirituality, or women and religion. More broadly, it would serve as an accessible and engaging source for reflection and dialogue in nonacademic settings, such as adult religious education groups in churches and community book clubs. I myself will be sharing Carnes’ book with several mothers in my own life, whom I know will benefit from her deep wisdom about partnering with God in the joys and pains of loving another creature into the fullness of existence.