Hasil untuk "Religious ethics"

Hector Galindo-Silva, Paula Paula Herrera-Idarraga

How do religious identities change? We study the effects of civic education reforms on religious identification using Colombia's 1991 Constitution, which dismantled the country's confessional regime and mandated constitutional instruction in high schools. Exploiting cohort-based variation in exposure to the reform and nationally representative survey data, we implement a difference-in-differences design. We find that exposure to the constitutional curriculum reduced Catholic self-identification by about three percentage points. This decline reflects a reallocation of religious identities rather than a generalized decline in religiosity. In regions where Catholic institutional presence was historically weaker, Catholic losses translate into switching toward non-Catholic Christian denominations and higher religious attendance. In contrast, in regions where Catholic dominance was stronger, the decline is associated with increased secular identification and lower attendance. These patterns hold across ethnic and non-ethnic groups and are shaped primarily by regional religious supply rather than ethnicity per se. Overall, the results show that civic education can reconfigure religious identities by reshaping the relative legitimacy of competing affiliations.

Louisa Conwill, Megan K. Levis, Karla Badillo-Urquiola et al.

HCI is increasingly taking inspiration from religious traditions as a basis for ethical technology designs. Such ethically-inspired designs can be especially important for social communications technologies, which are associated with numerous societal concerns. If religious values are to be incorporated into real-world designs, there may be challenges when designers work with values unfamiliar to them. Therefore, we investigate the difference in interpretations of values when they are translated to technology designs. To do so we studied design patterns that embody Catholic Social Teaching (CST). We interviewed 24 technologists and 7 CST scholars to assess how their understanding of how those values would manifest in social media designs. We found that for the most part the technologists responded similarly to the CST scholars. However, CST scholars had a better understanding of the principle of subsidiarity, and they believed moderation upheld human dignity more than the technologists did. We discuss the implications of our findings on the designs of social technologies and design processes at large.

Muhammad Salar Khan, Hamza Umer

This study examines religious biases in AI-generated financial advice, focusing on ChatGPT's responses to financial queries. Using a prompt-based methodology and content analysis, we find that 50% of the financial emails generated by ChatGPT exhibit religious biases, with explicit biases present in both ingroup and outgroup interactions. While ingroup biases personalize responses based on religious alignment, outgroup biases introduce religious framing that may alienate clients or create ideological friction. These findings align with broader research on AI bias and suggest that ChatGPT is not merely reflecting societal biases but actively shaping financial discourse based on perceived religious identity. Using the Critical Algorithm Studies framework, we argue that ChatGPT functions as a mediator of financial narratives, selectively reinforcing religious perspectives. This study underscores the need for greater transparency, bias mitigation strategies, and regulatory oversight to ensure neutrality in AI-driven financial services.

Shaouna Shoaib Lodhi, Shoaib Lodhi

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into K-12 STEM education presents transformative opportunities alongside significant ethical challenges. While AI-powered tools such as Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), automated assessments, and predictive analytics enhance personalized learning and operational efficiency, they also risk perpetuating algorithmic bias, eroding student privacy, and exacerbating educational inequities. This paper examines the dual-edged impact of AI in STEM classrooms, analyzing its benefits (e.g., adaptive learning, real-time feedback) and drawbacks (e.g., surveillance risks, pedagogical limitations) through an ethical lens. We identify critical gaps in current AI education research, particularly the lack of subject-specific frameworks for responsible integration and propose a three-phased implementation roadmap paired with a tiered professional development model for educators. Our framework emphasizes equity-centered design, combining technical AI literacy with ethical reasoning to foster critical engagement among students. Key recommendations include mandatory bias audits, low-resource adaptation strategies, and policy alignment to ensure AI serves as a tool for inclusive, human-centered STEM education. By bridging theory and practice, this work advances a research-backed approach to AI integration that prioritizes pedagogical integrity, equity, and student agency in an increasingly algorithmic world. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, STEM education, algorithmic bias, ethical AI, K-12 pedagogy, equity in education

Riccardo Di Sipio

We explore Bayesian reasoning as a means to quantify uncertainty in neural networks for question answering. Starting with a multilayer perceptron on the Iris dataset, we show how posterior inference conveys confidence in predictions. We then extend this to language models, applying Bayesian inference first to a frozen head and finally to LoRA-adapted transformers, evaluated on the CommonsenseQA benchmark. Rather than aiming for state-of-the-art accuracy, we compare Laplace approximations against maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimates to highlight uncertainty calibration and selective prediction. This allows models to abstain when confidence is low. An ``I don't know'' response not only improves interpretability but also illustrates how Bayesian methods can contribute to more responsible and ethical deployment of neural question-answering systems.

Rongyi Chen, Ziyan Xin, Qing Xiao et al.

The digital transformation of religious practice has reshaped how billions of people engage with spiritual content, with video-sharing platforms becoming central to contemporary religious communication. Yet HCI research lacks systematic understanding of how narrative and visual elements create meaningful spiritual experiences and foster viewer engagement. We present a mixed-methods study of religious videos on YouTube across major religions, developing taxonomies of narrative frameworks, visual elements, and viewer interaction. Using LLM-assisted analysis, we studied relationships between content characteristics and viewer responses. Religious videos predominantly adopt lecture-style formats with authority-based persuasion strategies, using salvation narratives for guidance. All prefer bright lighting, with Buddhism favoring warm tones and prominent symbols, Judaism preferring indoor settings, and Hinduism emphasizing sacred objects. We identified differentiated patterns of emotional sharing among religious viewers while revealing significant correlations between content characteristics and engagement, particularly regarding AI-generated content. We provide evidence-based guidance for creating inclusive and engaging spiritual media.

Nurcahyati Nurcahyati, Haqiqi Haqiqi

This article examines the transformation of tafsir from traditional to modern in the perspective of Fazlur Rahman's hermeneutics. This research was conducted using qualitative methodology with hermeneutic analysis to understand the mufassir's efforts in answering the challenges of the times in a more contextual and relevant way. The traditional textual approach is now replaced by a more unified hermeneutic method, combining social, historical and linguistic analysis. This allows Qur'anic interpretation to deepen meanings that are not only appropriate to the context of the past, but also relevant to modern social, political and cultural realities. The development of globalization and modernity has had a significant impact on the dynamics of tafsir, with modern mufassirs applying adaptive methods to address social issues. However, this transformation faces the challenge of maintaining a balance between innovation and respect for tradition and the authority of the sacred text. The interim conclusion of the study shows that changes in tafsir not only enrich the intellectual horizons of Islam, but also play an important role in developing an understanding and practice of the Qur'an that is more relevant to the context of modern society.

Farida Arianti, Evra Willya, Alvi Husni et al.

This study discusses the ownership system and management of joint assets for clan members who are abroad. According to the Minangkabau Matrilineal tradition, each clan member has the right to own and manage joint assets, but the rights of migrants as one of its members are still unclear in terms of joint ownership boundaries and tend to be objects of dispute. This research is a qualitative with a phenomenological approach in the realm of Minangkabau customs, especially the Tigo Balai Nagari. Primary data sources from members of the tribe who have the right to hold customary land, as well as to the tribal grandfather/mamak who controls customary land. Secondary sources are the nagari community around the village where the object of research is. This Article uses in-depth interviews with interview guidelines, while the key instrument is the researcher himself. Then we use observation techniques to guide data acquisition. Data validity technique by triangulation of sources. Qualitative descriptive data analysis technique. The results found that clan members who are abroad still have ownership rights to the joint property as long as they are still members of the clan or tribe, while regarding the management rights only to their sisters who are in their hometowns. The conclusion is that joint ownership in the Minangkabau customary perspective has the same right to manage the joint property. In terms of fiqh muamalah, shirkah property only applies to management and can be transferred, especially in the management only in the name of the migrant clan member. Penelitian ini membahas tentang sistem kepemilikan serta pengelolaan harta bersama bagi anggota klan yang berada di perantauan. Secara adat Matrilineal Minangkabau, setiap anggota klan memiliki hak untuk memiliki dan menggelola harta bersama namun hak perantau sebagai salah satu anggotanya masih belum ditemui titik terangnya secara batas kepemilikan bersama dan cendrung menjadi objek yang dipertikaian. Artikel ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi di ranah adat Minangkabau, khususnya Nagari Tigo Balai. Sumber data primer dari anggota kaum suku yang memiliki hak pemegang tanah ulayat, serta kepada datuk/mamak suku di Nagari. Sumber sekunder berupa masyarakat nagari di sekitar perkampungan di tempat objek penelitian. Teknik pengambilan data menggunakan wawancara mendalam dengan alat pedoman wawancara, sedangkan instrument kunci adalah peneliti sendiri. Kemudian menggunakan teknik observasi dalam memandu perolehan data. Teknik keabsahan data secara trianggulasi sumber. Teknik analisis data secara deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil yang ditemukan bahwa para anggota klan yang berada di perantauan tetap memiliki hak milik terhadap harta bersama tersebut sepanjang mereka masih menjadi anggota klan atau suku, sedangkan mengenai hak pengelolaannya hanya pada saudarinya yang berada di kampung halaman. Kesimpulannya bahwa kepemilikan bersama dalam prespektif adat Minangkabau sama-sama berhak untuk mengolah harta bersama tersebut. Secara fikih muamalah, harta shirkah hanya berlaku pada pengelolaan saja serta dapat dipindahtangankan khususnya pada pengelolaanya saja atas nama perantau.

Nabila Arianingrum, Martina Safitry

This study explores the modernization of women's education in the Siak Sultanate during the early 20th century, focusing on the Sultanah Latifah School and Madrasatun Nisa’. The research addresses how women's education became a medium for social transformation within traditional Malay society amid colonial influence, Islamic reform, and local educational awareness. It investigates the social context and development of women's education in Siak Sri Indrapura, employing a qualitative historical method. Data were collected through archival research, oral history, and field observations. Sultanah Latifah School, initiated by Sultan Syarif Kasim II, adopted a Western-oriented curriculum including reading, writing, arithmetic, Dutch, etiquette, and Islamic studies. In contrast, Madrasatun Nisa’ emphasized Islamic modernist teachings, such as Arabic, women’s jurisprudence (fiqh), ethics, and reformist thought. These institutions represented a significant shift in traditional female roles, fostering public engagement and intellectual development. The findings highlight that both schools blended local customs, Islamic values, and modern pedagogy, marking a pioneering effort in localized women's educational reform. This modernization promoted not only religious and cultural continuity but also opened avenues for broader societal participation by women. The study concludes that the Siak Sultanate played a key role in advancing women's education within a framework respectful of tradition yet oriented toward progress. It emphasizes the need to preserve such historical educational models and to further explore the legacy of female graduates in shaping modern society. The integration of regional history into educational curricula is also recommended to enrich contemporary understanding

Nuno Crokidakis

We propose a simple model to describe the dynamics of religious affiliation. For such purpose, we built a compartmental model with three distinct subpopulations, namely religious committed individuals, religious noncommitted individuals and not religious affiliated individuals. The transitions among the compartments are governed by probabilities, modeling social interactions among the groups and also spontaneous transitions among the compartments. First of all, we consider the model on a fully-connected network. Thus, we write a set of ordinary differential equations to study the evolution of the subpopulations. Our analytical and numerical results show that there is an absorbing state in the model where only one of the subpopulations survive in the long-time limit. There are also regions of parameters where some of the subpopulations coexist (two or three). We also verified the occurrence of two distinct critical points. In addition, we also present Monte Carlo simulations of the model on two-dimensional square lattices, in order to analyze the impact of the presence of a lattice structure on the critical behavior of the model. Comparison of the models' results with data for religious affiliation in Northern Ireland shows a good qualitative agreement. Finally, we considered the presence of inflexible individuals in the population, i.e., individuals that never change their states. The impact of such special agents on the critical behavior of the model is also discussed.

Joao Gouveia, Fernando Branco, Armanda Rodrigues et al.

Project Lx Conventos aims to study, in a systematic and integrated manner, the impact of the dissolution of religious orders in the dynamics of urban transformation in nineteenth century Lisbon. After the liberal revolution and the civil war, in the 19th century, the dissolution of religious orders led to the alienation, in Lisbon, of nearly 130 religious buildings which were then given profane occupations (mainly public services) or demolished and divided in plots, originating new urban realities. Project Lx Conventos thus aims to show that the extinction of the convents was decisive in the urban development of Lisbon, in the eighteen hundreds. The project stands on a large set of multimedia data which includes historic and contemporary cartography and geo-referenced photos, videos and 3D models, provided by the projects partners, Lisbon Municipality and the Portuguese National Archive, Torre do Tombo. Supported by these materials, the project's team is creating an online system that will implement a spatial and temporal navigation of these resources integrated in an interactive Map of Lisbon. Besides spatially locating and analyzing the data available for each of the religious buildings considered in the project, the tool integrates cutting edge interaction technology for: 1) Enabling a temporal voyage over the available traces of religious buildings; 2) Analyzing the evolution of religious buildings and their surroundings, through available data; 3) Using 3D representations of the buildings for accessing related data, through time. In this paper, the tools under development in the context of Lx Conventos are described, as well as the technologies supporting them. The current status of the system is presented and future developments are proposed.

Rochana Chaturvedi, Sugat Chaturvedi, Elena Zheleva

While exposure to diverse viewpoints may reduce polarization, it can also have a backfire effect and exacerbate polarization when the discussion is adversarial. Here, we examine the question whether intergroup interactions around important events affect polarization between majority and minority groups in social networks. We compile data on the religious identity of nearly 700,000 Indian Twitter users engaging in COVID-19-related discourse during 2020. We introduce a new measure for an individual's group conformity based on contextualized embeddings of tweet text, which helps us assess polarization between religious groups. We then use a meta-learning framework to examine heterogeneous treatment effects of intergroup interactions on an individual's group conformity in the light of communal, political, and socio-economic events. We find that for political and social events, intergroup interactions reduce polarization. This decline is weaker for individuals at the extreme who already exhibit high conformity to their group. In contrast, during communal events, intergroup interactions can increase group conformity. Finally, we decompose the differential effects across religious groups in terms of emotions and topics of discussion. The results show that the dynamics of religious polarization are sensitive to the context and have important implications for understanding the role of intergroup interactions.

Leif Hancox-Li, Borhane Blili-Hamelin

ETHICS is probably the most-cited dataset for testing the ethical capabilities of language models. Drawing on moral theory, psychology, and prompt evaluation, we interrogate the validity of the ETHICS benchmark. Adding to prior work, our findings suggest that having a clear understanding of ethics and how it relates to empirical phenomena is key to the validity of ethics evaluations for AI.

Ahmet Yusuf Alan, Enis Karaarslan, Omer Aydin

Religious teachings can sometimes be complex and challenging to grasp, but chatbots can serve as effective assistants in this domain. Large Language Model (LLM) based chatbots, powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), can connect related topics and provide well-supported responses to intricate questions, making them valuable tools for religious education. However, LLMs are prone to hallucinations as they can generate inaccurate or irrelevant information, and these can include sensitive content that could be offensive, inappropriate, or controversial. Addressing such topics without inadvertently promoting hate speech or disrespecting certain beliefs remains a significant challenge. As a solution to these issues, we introduce MufassirQAS, a system that enhances LLM accuracy and transparency using a vector database-driven Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) approach. We built a dataset comprising fundamental books containing Turkish translations and interpretations of Islamic texts. This database is leveraged to answer religious inquiries while ensuring that responses remain reliable and contextually grounded. Our system also presents the relevant dataset sections alongside the LLM-generated answers, reinforcing transparency. We carefully designed system prompts to prevent harmful, offensive, or disrespectful outputs, ensuring that responses align with ethical and respectful discourse. Moreover, MufassirQAS provides supplementary details, such as source page numbers and referenced articles, to enhance credibility. To evaluate its effectiveness, we tested MufassirQAS against ChatGPT with sensitive questions, and our system demonstrated superior performance in maintaining accuracy and reliability. Future work will focus on improving accuracy and refining prompt engineering techniques to further minimize biases and ensure even more reliable responses.

Allen Alvarez

Tangsholpan Zholmukhan, Murat Smagulov, Nurlan Kairbekov et al.

The relevance of the research theme, lies in its importance for the effective formation of a harmoniously developed personality and society, as well as maintaining the cultural, social and economic prosperity of the modern society. The purpose of this article is to study the social aspects of the educational potential within the framework of Islamic studies, as well as to reveal the conceptual approach to its understanding. The publication materials are the information from scientific and practical disciplines, highlighting the implementation of social aspects of the educational potential of the Islamic studies in its natural environment and in a foreign context, as well as monographic works on the topic and sources that are a fixation of research observations in the field of modernization of the educational and social systems of the society life. The following concepts are the result of its study: fixing the problem under study as a composite and inseparable and a large-scale system; determination of its leading categories; establishing the relationship between its components; the authors’ interpretation of this topic as a panoramic phenomenon interconnected with many other spheres of society. The practical significance of the work was revealed in its novelty, relevance and demand among representatives of the leading areas of scientific thought and activity such as history and sociology; ethics and religious studies; cultural studies and economics; pedagogy and psychology. The prospect of the problem under consideration lies in the need to observe, fix and study its reflection and relevance in the life of modern society, as well as in the importance of expanding and enriching the boundaries of “Islamic studies” as a scientific direction that promotes awareness of the role of spiritual principle in the formation of personality, as well as in saving the ethnic groups for their prosperity and progress.

Nataliya Krynytska

The US national mythology, one of the components of which is the Puritan cultural heritage, has recently increasingly attracted the attention of researchers of contemporary American literature. The attention often focuses on the problem of the consequences (destructive or beneficial) of postmodern deconstruction regarding the fundamental US myths. The article shows that Kurt Vonnegut in his anti-war postmodernist novel Slaughterhouse-Five manages to create a double code that allows to deconstruct John Bunyan’s important allegorical work The Pilgrim’s Progress, which at one time was an effective means of Protestant religious propaganda, and at the same time to urge readers to return to Christian humanism. The purpose of the article is to study the deconstruction of Bunyan’s work in Vonnegut’s novel through the lens of jeremiad as the Puritan rhetorical form. The author emphasizes that historically the jeremiad was a sermon for the salvation of the souls of the flock, because it lamented the current state of affairs in society, called to come to its senses and embark on the path of correction. Despite the satire and absurdity of the world in Slaughterhouse-Five, it contains the features of the jeremiad: “an Elect” is Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut’s alter ego, “an exodus” is his service in the US Army during World War II, “an errand into the wilderness” is Billy’s move to Europe and participation in the Battle of the Bulge, then his capture, and the punishment of sinners – the Dresden tragedy. Fortunately, Billy survives, as if he has “a covenant” with God, and then he fulfils his will and brings to the people – whether from God or from the Tralfamadorian aliens – “providential historical thinking”. The paper considers the connection of the concept of time in the novel with the concept of the triple synthesis of time by Gilles Deleuze, the understanding of time in the works of Saint Augustine, and in the Bible. The use of a SF concept of non-linear time allows Vonnegut to reach a new level of understanding the problems of destination, choice, and responsibility. He creates an alternative to the pilgrim’s progress in Bunyan’s novel, since the linearity of the development of civilization and Protestant ethics lead to catastrophes like World War II. The author concludes that, despite all the irony, Vonnegut’s novel is not only humanistic, but also deeply Christian, and develops, but already at a modern level, the educational mission that is characteristic of the US literature.

Hendy Mustiko Aji, Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin, Abdul Kadir Othman et al.

This study investigates the effect of religious-based ethics (knowledge about riba and perceived riba risk) on Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) re-usage intention among Muslim consumers in Indonesia and Malaysia from the lens of commitment-trust theory. An online survey was conducted among 434 adult Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia who self-reported BNPL usage. The model was analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. Our study shows that religious-based ethics can discourage BNPL re-usage intention, but only when commitment is low, highlighting its mediating role. Interestingly, our study found no significant connection between trust in BNPL and its re-usage intention. These findings hold for both countries, except for the relationship between riba knowledge and trust, which was only significant in Indonesia. This study is the first to examine religious-based ethics within the BNPL context using commitment-trust theory.

Yanbin Wang

The Cao’an (草庵), situated in the Fujian Province of China, stands as a rare Manichean relic that has long attracted scholarly interest. In the Sunei (苏内) village where the Cao’an is located, there are numerous texts, narratives, and religious practices related to Manichaeism which are often cited as evidence of local Manichaean activities since the Song and Yuan Dynasties. However, drawing from anthropological fieldwork, this paper points out that the local villagers have a more complex and seemingly contradictory attitude towards Manichaeism. On the one hand, they are enthusiastic about worshipping “Moni guangfo” (Mani the Buddha of Light, 摩尼光佛) and collecting narratives of their Manichaean ancestors. On the other hand, they resist the local government’s attempts to strengthen the “Manichaean” characteristics of Cao’an and related village temples. Their familial ethics provides a critical and coherent perspective. The villagers have gradually accumulated a wealth of Manichaean-related texts and narratives to demonstrate the moral virtues of their ancestors. Their beliefs and rituals concerning Mani the Buddha of Light are also grounded in traditional familial ethics. This helps us grasp the reality of Manichaeism-related culture in contemporary China.

Jean-Pierre Luminet

Alexander Friedmann and Georges Lemaître are undoubtedly the real fathers of Big Bang cosmologies. In this article I study the influences their work underwent due to some religious as well as anti-religious ideas. During his career Lemaître faced criticisms coming from non-believing scientists, who reproached him (wrongly) to have developed his primeval atom cosmology for conciliatory reasons. In the former case of Friedmann, we know that his 1922 proposal of a "creation of the world out of nothing" was criticized by Einstein for metaphysical reasons. The essence of such hostile reactions is the fact that presumably "good" scientific contents should not be influenced by religious ideas. Nevertheless, metaphysical and theological ideas can play an important role inside the science research processes, as an epistemological tool helping to clarify the use of some fundamental notions.