TRANSHUMANISM, A CONSISTENT RAILWAY OF HUMAN LIFE, OR A PARALLEL TO IT? IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MILITARY INSTRUMENT OF POWER
Abstract
Transhumanism in the “three levels of improvement:
trivial, conventional, and transhumanist, starting from the
simple technology and reaching to the pure ideology”
(Alexander, 2015) is no longer a novelty for the Romanian
public. I refer to the appearance of consistent writings about
the subject, to a number of practical deployments from
which there is no lack of contact lenses, vaccines (trivial),
but also to aesthetic operations, the use of drugs for mental
potentiation, dedicated prostheses on the strands with
amputated limbs, etc. (conventional). If the first two levels
aim at bringing or bringing back the human organism to the
“parameters of human normality”, the third aims at moving
beyond the human datum. A passage in which the geniuses
of the being, of the “machine,” of the chimera (beyond the
Dolly sheep) or of the resulting mix may no longer be two
(human) individuals of the opposite sex.
Keywords: transhumanism, robots, artificial intelligence.
COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION AND COOPERATION IN THE ENERGY CRISIS
Abstract
The present paper deals with the energy sector in
connection to the events which took place during the
previous year: “Communication deficits / negotiation /
cooperation as a source of conflict in the contemporary
world.”In Romanian it is said that a wise individual builds
himself a sledge during summer and a cart during winter.
Unfortunately, the energy crisis of this winter has surprised
the whole of Europe without a sledge. It is more effective
to save when we have what to save and wiser that,
anticipating to build in times of peace and prosperity, to
withstand the times of crisis.But reality sometimes takes
us by surprise, and the three vectors of the present theme,
communication, negotiation and cooperation, have
recorded serious issues in the energy sphere, especially in
the previous year.
Keywords: communication, negotiation, cooperation,
energy crisis.
“HUNTING” FOR INFORMATION TO COPE WITH THE OMNIPRESENT UNCERTAINTY REPRESENTS THE NEW NORMALITY
Abstract
Reality is not given to us; it must be deciphered: be it
rules or customs or collective mind, be it chance. If we
content ourselves with not knowing where the reality, we
live in today was born, we must also be content with the
fact that we will not understand it. Modern societies
nowadays are more interested - surprisingly, but only at a
first glance - in how we manage risk than in the distribution
of power or wealth. The explanation lies in the fact that we
are often hit by unplanned results and unexpected and
unintended consequences of processes that were supposed
to take place under control in the society. Change itself
becomes the norm in this situation. We are witnessing a
global process of dissolution of norms, simultaneously
with the change of power structures. A new global
behaviour is crystallized. Certainty breeds superiority;
uncertainty breeds insecurity. The extremes are both the
regions to be avoided in decision-making: the area of
certainty beyond any doubt, whose sources are subjective,
irrational, and, at the opposite pole, the area of
incomprehensible uncertainty, whose sources are nothing
but chance, accident. A deep knowledge must be brought
into the middle of the space; thus, there can be a predictive
capacity.
Keywords: information, artificial intelligence, manipulation.
THE INFLUENCE OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION PARADIGMS ON SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY IN LAGOS STATE
Abstract
The global North has articulated a number of
development communication paradigms to assist poorer
countries in Africa, South America and Asia in terms of
economic development. This followed the observed impact
of the application of the Marshall Plan on the economic
development of Western European countries destroyed
during the Second World War. The major development
paradigms are modernisation, dependency and structural
economic adjustments. While the modernisation paradigm
applies the top-down approach in communication with
societies at the grassroots, dependency is that in which the
economy of certain states is conditioned by the development
of other economies on which the other states depend. On
its part, the structural economic adjustment represents the
neo-liberal and market-oriented development paradigm
stimulated through the promotion of free markets, free
trade, and the elimination of excessive government
controls. This study explores the adoption of these
paradigms in the development of water supply systems at
Adiyan, Akute, Iju and Isashi communities in Ogun and
Lagos States, from where raw water is pumped, treated,
and distributed for consumption in Lagos State. It is
anchored on two theories: the Participatory Communication
Theory developed by Paulo Freire, and the Self-Reliance
Theory, which owes its origins to the emergence of the
United Nations’ New International Economic Order
(NIEO). A mixed methods design was adopted for the
study, and this involved the quantitative technique of
questionnaire administration and the qualitative technique
of in-depth interviews with participants. The study found
that the systems’ developer adopted the pseudoparticipation
approach of consultation during the planning,
thus inferring that it applied the top-down communication
strategy. It recommends that a national development
charter be enacted to compel water supply systems’
developers or project donors to adopt bottom-up
approaches, during the planning and execution of future
development projects to enhance sustainability.
Keywords: modernisation paradigm, dependency paradigm,
structural adjustment paradigm, sustainable water supply,
pseudo-participation approach, economic recovery.
THE INTERDEPENDENCY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNICATION AND THE COMMUNITY
Abstract
Communication is pervasive, it helps us to know ourselves
better, and those around us; it is a perfect interrelationship
system between people and it “builds” mutually beneficial
relationships, giving efficiency to any activity, regardless
of the field.
Keywords: communication, community, communication
system, public communication, existentialism, set of standards,
relation, human manifestation, interdependence, mass-media,
existential standards.
IMAGE STRUCTURAL AND COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS IN INFORMATIONAL JOURNALISTIC TEXTS
Abstract
With the development of digital technologies, the press
has developed considerably, coming up with visual
information that helps journalistic texts to be more credible.
The journalistic materials that appear in the press nowadays
are considerably improved compared to those materials
that appeared in the 17th century. Images have the power
to complete information, to persuade readers that
information is credible. Photographs are part of the
journalistic genre, they attract attention, capture the
interest of the media consumer, determine him to read the
text, etc. Photography represents a communication tool,
just as the journalistic text conveys a message, a
photographic composition is valuable when it manages to
say something. Photographic images have an invaluable
value because, at the time of their publication, they transmit
information about the event and with the passage of time
they immortalize information regarding people or events
in history. The process of selecting the right photos is very
important one and the journalist must take into account
several factors: the impact of the photo; the quality of the
photo; the placement in the text. The caption of the photo
is inevitable so as not to cause confusion, puzzlement,
misinformation, etc. Just as important as the structural and
compositional elements mentioned above is the
preservation of image accuracy following digital
processing.
Keywords: image, photo, illustration, journalistic text,
legend, professional ethics, manipulation.
THE IMAGE OF ROMANIA AND THE VAMPIRE OBSESSION
Abstract
The paper studies how Bram Stoker`s Dracula and the
screenings and animations it inspired affected the image
of Romania overseas and permanently associated Vlad the
Impaler with the fictional character of Dracula. Even the
Romanians embraced this association in order to boost
tourism. However, the official branding strategy places the
accent on authenticity, and therefore we ask ourselves
whether it is worth having a vampire myth based on a
tourism strategy or not.
Keywords: tourism, branding, vampire, authenticity.
STRENGTHS AND SHORTCOMING IN THE CONFIGURATION OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Abstract
On the media market, more and more platforms
specialized in publishing journalistic investigations are
being configured. The investigative journalist’s possibilities
have expanded to such an extent that currently a good
professional can carry out journalistic investigations
without going out into the field and without conducting
interviews with information sources. At the same time,
new technologies have also enormously influenced the
structural aspect of journalistic investigations, because
online platforms also allow the publication of rather
voluminous materials, accompanied by many photos,
graphics, diagrams and even video and audio content. The
journalist also applies numerous innovative tools such as:
geotagging, real-time geolocation, hashtags, accounts of
individuals on social networks, access to free and paid
databases. In the Republic of Moldova, the interest in the
field of investigative journalism is fuelled by several
essential aspects; the increased level of corruption in all
social fields; the intensification of anti-corruption policies,
with the aim of aligning the Republic of Moldova with
European policies; increasing the level of liberalization and
independence of the media in setting their agenda
independently; new technologies have significantly
simplified the work of investigative journalists.
Keywords: journalism, investigation technologies, internet,
methods, anti-corruption, database.
THE STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION DEFICIT AND ITS EFFECTS IN CONTEMPORARY CONFLICTS
Abstract
We want to believe that the evolution of technology
and especially the increase in the volume of knowledge
available to the contemporary world bring peace and
prosperity. We want to believe that it is the democracy and
implicitly the market economy that make people and
nations focus more on dialogue and negotiation and less
on resolving disputes by force. This does not happen
because some state actors do not abandon the policy of
force and manifest their interests through the use of the
military tool. The negotiation deficit is rooted in the goals
pursued, in the paths followed and in the tools used. The
differences between the schools of thought of diplomacy,
but especially the way in which they are manifested by the
political decision-makers, make the world to be in a
continuous conflict.
Keywords: deficit, negotiation, diplomacy, interests,
conflict.
Proceedings of International Congress
Selection of Abstracts
