Since the beginning of Western philosophy, thinkers have discussed how one might lead a good, i.e. a happy, life and what role luck plays in flourishing. According to one dominant Ancient Greek tradition, life’s circumstances are not relevant for our happiness, and, moreover, they fall outside of our control. What is up to us is how we respond to life’s circumstances and adversities. Christiani...

Book III can be regarded as a kind of summary of the preceding opinions in the history of speculation on púruÞa-, bráhmaúand ātmán-. It is dramatized into a scene of the Brahmodya (theological disputation) held by King Janaka in which famous priest-scholars participate, among them Yājñavalkya and Śākalya. This framework as well as some parts of its contents (e.g. questions about the number of t...

We have already stated summarily what the punishment should be for temple-robbing, whether by open force or secretly. But the punishments for the various sorts of insolence in speech or action with regard to the gods, which a man can show in word or deed, have to be proclaimed after we have provided an exordium. Let this be it: "No one believing, as the laws prescribe, in the existence of the g...

introduction one of the most vulnerable water resources against contamination is ground water table. these resources are exposed to contamination in various forms. identifying and controlling contamination in these resources are more difficult and costly than surface waters. also because of the persistence of contamination in these resources, the best way to prevent their contamination is to id...

As appeals to what gods know and care about often motivate and rationalize human behavior, understanding shared models of gods’ minds is crucial for understanding religion’s contributions to human sociality. If religious systems function to minimize the effects of social and ecological problems, then models of gods’ concerns should coevolve with these problems. The present work assesses this pr...

The presidential pardon is a Brazilian tradition enacted every Christmas season by federal decree. An inheritance from Portuguese tradition, the Imperial pardon was incorporated into the first Brazilian constitution, of 1824, and remains a presidential prerogative according to the 1988 Federal Constitution. In 2008, this merciful regulation included, for the first time, mentally ill offenders d...