Maailmanhistoria - yksityistetty!

Nimekkeen selitys: Historioitsija René Groussettin ja kirjailijoiden H. G. Wellsin ja Octavio Pazin käsitykset maailmanhistoriasta.

Pasvik Water Quality until 2013 ; Environmental Monitoring Programme in the Norwegian, Finnish and Russian Border Area

The Pasvik monitoring programme was created in 2006 as a result of the trilateral cooperation and with the intention of following changes in the environment under variable pollution levels. Water quality is one of the basic elements of the programme when assessing the effects of the emissions from the Pechenganikel mining end metallurgical industry (Kola GMK). In this report temporal trends of the water chemistry during 2000–2013 are examined on the basis of the data gathered from lake Inari, River Pasvik and directly connected lakes, Lake Kuetsjarvi and 25 small lakes in three areas: Pechenganikel (Russia), Jarfjord (Norway) and Vätsäri (Finland). The lower parts of the Pasvik watercourse are impacted by both atmospheric pollution and direct wastewater discharge from the Pechenganikel smelter and the settlement of Nikel. The upper section of the watercourse and the small lakes and streams which are not directly linked to the Pasvik Watercourse only receive atmospheric pollution. Lake Inari is free of direct emissions from the Pechenganikel and the water quality is excellent. In River Pasvik and the directly connected lakes copper, nickel, and sulphates are the main pollutants. The most polluted water body is the Kolosjoki River as well as the stream connecting the Lakes Salmijarvi and Kuetsjarvi. The concentration of metals and sulphates in the water notably increases downstream the river lower Lake Kuetsjarvi. In Lake Kuetsjarvi copper and nickel concentrations are clearly elevated and have changed insignificantly in the last years of the research period. In the small border area lakes recovery from acidification in Vätsäri and Jarfjord is evident. Nickel and copper oncentrations have fluctuated but remained on clearly elevated level in Jarfjord and Pechenga. Copper concentrations have been slightly rising in the recent years. In Pechenga area nickel concentrations during the last four monitoring years are decreasing in some places but the regional trend through whole time series is still positive.

Toimijaverkostoteoria ja matkailu

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Troijan hevonen tieteen valekaavussa

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Lintujen kiehtovaa perhe-elämää

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Animal Experience in Kant’s Philosophy

The role of animals in the philosophy of mind is primarily to help understand the human mind by serving as practical examples of cognition that differs from ours either in kind or in degree. Kant regarded animals as beings that only have the faculty of sensibility. By examining what Kant writes about animal experience we gain knowledge concerning the role of sensibility in experience, free from the influence of understanding and reason. I look at Kant’s view of animals in the historical context of alternative views presented by Descartes’ and Hume’s views. Kant’s view can be seen as a counterargument against Descartes’ doctrine of animal machines according to which animals do not have minds and they do not think. I suggest that while it can be argued that some kind of elementary experience could be possible in the physiological level, this only makes sense when it is possible to become conscious of the unconscious sensation, and this requires a mind. A further option is to claim that there is only a difference in degree between human and animal cognitive capacities. This is Hume’s view. I argue that even though Kant’s and Hume’s view on the cognitive capacities of animals seems to depart from each other to a considerable extent, the differences between them diminish when the focus is on the experience these capacities enable. I also briefly discuss the relation of the metaphysics of animal minds to animal ethics.