Monthly Archives: November 2022

Islands for Sale in United States – Private Islands Online

Posted: November 25, 2022 at 4:19 am

ISLANDS FOR SALE IN

From Alaska to Florida, the United States is possibly the most geographically diverse country in the world. The majority of American private islands properties are located near the eastern seaboard, especially in Maine, New York and Florida. Islands for sale in the US range from tropical F... + Read Morelorida keys to rugged lodges in Alaska. Naturally, the weather varies as widely as the country's terrain. Florida's proximity to the Caribbean means hurricanes are a seasonal issue just as winters in Maine are never conducive to water sports.

Real estate is one of the most popular investments in the United States. America's laws and economic policy create an open and reliable atmosphere for real estate investors. Its economic and political stability make the United States a magnet for both foreign investors and the country's own citizens. It should also be noted that Americans, as a group, are the largest buyers of private islands worldwide.

Foreign ownership laws vary from state to state. Some states have strict guidelines on foreign ownership or don't allow it at all. In all cases, due diligence should be performed, especially concerning region specific construction and zoning laws. There are only a few restrictions to foreign ownership of property in the United States; but buyers should be aware that ownership laws vary from state to state and even within different counties within the same state. To make sure that the transaction moves ahead efficiently, retaining the services of a real estate lawyer and working with a knowledgeable agent or broker is highly advisable. - Read Less

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Fashion and Beauty Forum – clothes, shoes, hair care, skin … – City-Data

Posted: at 4:15 am

PJSaturn

06-03-2014 11:06 PMby PJSaturn

Boffking

Yesterday 10:27 PMby KaraG

Jon Iverson

Yesterday 03:40 PMby Parnassia

Sand&Salt

11-23-2022 04:44 PMby Mightyqueen801

MKTwet

11-23-2022 01:58 PMby Driver 47

A New Day

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11-22-2022 12:54 PMby farm fatale

victimofGM

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11-20-2022 01:56 PMby KathrynAragon

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victimofGM

11-16-2022 06:50 AMby elnina

Gabriella Geramia

11-15-2022 08:21 AMby SnazzyB

bellamax2

11-14-2022 07:42 AMby gentlearts

WestieWhitie

11-12-2022 07:27 PMby WestieWhitie

victimofGM

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Navage8214

11-12-2022 07:33 AMby Roselvr

goodheathen

11-09-2022 06:59 AMby Hankrigby

LFJourney

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VinMay

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hertfordshire

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Pink Jazz

10-30-2022 02:49 PMby mojo101

Remington Steel

10-30-2022 12:45 PMby Ruth4Truth

Srijana_01

10-29-2022 09:14 AMby sholomar

Jo48

10-28-2022 03:08 PMby 2goldens

Mink57

10-25-2022 11:36 AMby Lodestar

Pink Jazz

10-23-2022 04:52 PMby citylove101

eddiehaskell

10-22-2022 04:45 PMby bpollen

Seagrape Grove

10-17-2022 02:25 PMby pete98146

BOS2IAD

10-15-2022 09:08 AMby rfomd129

dizzybint

10-14-2022 06:52 AMby Remington Steel

swaysway

10-12-2022 04:17 PMby jobaba

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Next Mars Orbiter – Wikipedia

Posted: at 4:14 am

Proposed NASA Mars communications satellite

The Next Mars Orbiter (NeMO, earlier known as the Mars 2022 orbiter) is a proposed NASA Mars communications satellite with high-resolution imaging payload and two solar-electric ion thrusters.[2][3]

The orbiter was initially proposed to be launched in September 2022 to link ground controllers with rovers and landers and extend mapping capabilities expected to be lost when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and 2001 Mars Odyssey stop functioning,[2][1] but officials elected to focus on flying the Perseverance rover first to cache various samples for a later sample-return mission that will incorporate a Mars telecom orbiter, now envisioned for the late 2020s.[4]

Key features under study include solar electric ion drive engines, better solar arrays, and broadband laser communications (optic communication) between Earth and Mars.[2][3][5]

The orbiter is conceptually similar to the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, canceled in 2005,[3] and could be a technology precursor for a future round-trip sample return mission[6] and human expeditions to Mars.[2][7] Robert Lock is leading the concept studies for the 2022 orbiter.[2][7]

Concern in NASA is that the currently used relay satellites, 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, may stop functioning, resulting in the need to press the MAVEN science orbiter into use as a backup telecommunications relay.[2][3][8] Since the highly elliptical orbit of MAVEN limits its usefulness as a relay for surface operations,[9][10] NASA will lower its orbit from 6,200 (3,900) to between 4,000 and 4,500 kilometers (2,500 and 2,800mi) altitude, where it can serve as a relay while continuing its science mission.[11]

Another suggested feature under study is "the sample rendezvous capture and return capability". The samples cached by the Mars 2020 rover would be placed in Mars orbit by a future Mars ascent vehicle. From there, the orbiter would rendezvous, transfer the samples into a capsule and send it back to Earth.[12]

The proposed orbiter would be propelled with two solar-electric ion thrusters; one engine would be active while the other one would be a spare.[1] Electrical power to the engines would be provided by advanced solar arrays that generate 20kW.[1]

An ion engine would give the spacecraft significant orbital flexibility for long-term support of future missions,[1] opportunistic flybys of Phobos and Deimos,[1] as well as the added capability of orbit supportrendezvous and capturefor a sample return mission.[1] An ion engine would also allow access to multiple latitudes and altitudes to optimize relay contacts.

The orbiter mission has been suggested by the Planetary Science Decadal Survey to be one of three missions of the proposed Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign.[12][14] Samples would be collected and cached by the Mars 2020 mission and would be left on the surface of Mars for possible later retrieval.[14] The orbiter would be launched on a medium-class vehicle, reaching Mars in about nine months and set to aerobrake down to a 500km (310mi) circular orbit over six to nine months.[14]

The third mission of the proposed MSR campaign, the lander, would nominally be launched two years after the orbiter launch. The lander would deploy a "fetch rover" to retrieve the sample caches. A container holding the samples would be launched by a two-stage, solid-fueled Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) and placed in a 500-km orbit comparable with the new orbiter and perform a rendezvous while in Mars orbit.[14] The container would be transferred to an Earth entry vehicle (EEV) which would bring it to Earth, enter the atmosphere under a parachute and hard-land for retrieval and analyses in specially designed safe laboratories.[12][14]

Some NASA officials consider the Mars 2022 orbiter an "essential orbital support for sample return", "significant" in maintaining the Martian communications infrastructure, and desirable for the continuity in remote sensing.[15] The President's FY2017 Budget provided $10 million to begin early conceptual work on the proposed Mars orbiter.[15][16] In July 2016, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory awarded five $400,000[1] sub-contracts to conduct concept studies. The five engineering companies are Boeing, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Orbital ATK, and Space Systems/Loral.[17][18]

However, in August 2017, Jim Green of NASA's Planetary Science Division stated that a 2022 launch for the orbiter was "probably off the table", as it would be too difficult to assemble an orbiter with all of the desired features in that time frame.[19] Jim Watzin of NASA's Mars Exploration Program stated in September 2017 that the orbiter may have to be cancelled, citing that "the likelihood of all of the relay orbiters failing is so low that no more investments are needed for that purpose."[20]

In February 2018, NASA announced that it was moving ahead with plans to alter the orbit of the MAVEN orbiter to have it serve as a communications relay. It will be lowered to 4,0004,500 kilometers (2,5002,800mi) altitude, where it can serve as a relay while allowing it to continue its science mission.[21] In March 2018, NASA officials decided that the aging Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will be managed such that it will continue service for about ten more years, and the program will now focus its resources on flying a sample-return mission first.[4] The 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter will also be managed to continue operating until about 2025.[22] A new Mars relay orbiter is likely to take part in the sample-return architecture envisioned for the late 2020s.[4]

[needs update]

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Next Mars Orbiter - Wikipedia

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3576 – Gene ResultCXCL8 C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 [ (human)]

Posted: November 23, 2022 at 5:04 am

Envelope surface glycoprotein gp120 env HIV-1 CN54, JRFL, and Ada Env (gp120) upregulates IL-6, CCL2, CCL4, CXCL8, and IL-1b through TLR4 and CCR5 induction in monocyte derived macrophages and hepatic stellate cells because treatment with an anti-TLR4 antibody mitigated the response PubMed env HIV-1 JRFL Env (gp120) upregulates IL8 in ARPE-19 cells PubMed env HIV-1 ADA infection decreases production of CXCL8 (IL8), CCL2 (MCP-1), and IL6 at a basal level or after Fc receptor, complement receptor 3, or bacterial stimulation in primary human macrophages PubMed env HIV-1 IIIB Env (gp120) upregulates production of TNF (TNF-a), IL-17A, CCL2 (MCP1), CCL5 (RANTES), IL6, IL10, CXCL8 (IL8), CXCL1 (GRO-a), and CCL1 (I309) in stimulated monocyte derived macrophages PubMed env Interleukin 8 (IL-8) gene expression is enhanced in monocytes treated with HIV-1 gp120 PubMed env Curcumin, a potent and safe anti-inflammatory compound, inhibits HIV-1 gp120-mediated upregulation of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6, and the chemokines IL-8, RANTES, and IP-10 in primary human genital epithelial cells PubMed env HIV-1 gp120 upregulates the expression of interleukin 8 (IL8) in human B cells PubMed env HIV-1 gp120 upregulates the expression of IL-6 and IL-8 via the p38 signaling pathway and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in astrocytes PubMed env The binding of soluble HIV-1 gp120 to TLR2 or TLR4 results in upregulation of the TNF-alpha and IL-8 production through NF-kappaB activation PubMed env HIV-1 gp120-mediated increases in IL-8 production in astrocytes are mediated through the NF-KappaB pathway PubMed env In endometrial epithelium-derived cells, gp120 from CCR5-tropic HIV-1 increases the release of monocytes/chemokines-attracting chemokines (IL-8 and GRO) and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-beta and IL-1alpha) PubMed Envelope transmembrane glycoprotein gp41 env The binding of soluble TLR2 to HIV-1 MA, CA, or gp41 inhibits the nuclear translocation of NFKB p65 subunit and downregulates CXCL8 (IL-8) and CCR5 expression, leading to inhibition of HIV-1 infection in cells PubMed env Evidence suggests HIV CA (p24) binds TLR2 and blocks activation by HIV MA (p17) and/or gp41 BUT DOES NOT block activation via Pam3CSK4 suggesting that HIV manipulates innate immune signaling through a TLR2-dependent mechanism PubMed env Exposure of TZM-bl 2 cells to CA (p24) for 1h prior to HIV gp41 decreases CXCL8 (IL-8) production yet has little to no effect on the inhibition of Pam3CSK4 (a synthetic bacterial TLR2/1 ligand) production of CXCL8 (IL-8) PubMed env Exposure of human T cells to HIV gp41 increases extracellular CXCL8 (IL-8) levels but to a lesser extent than CA (p24) and gp41 PubMed env A synthetic peptide corresponding to the immunosuppressive domain (amino acids 574-592) of HIV-1 gp41 inhibits activation of PBMCs and upregulates the expression of IL-8 in peptide-treated PBMCs PubMed env The interaction between HIV-1 gp41 fusion peptide and lymphocyte membrane is blocked by interleukin-8 and abolished by pre-treating the cells with heparin sulfate (HS) PubMed Nef nef HIV-1 Nef induces IL6 and CXCL8 (IL8) expression in a PIK3-PKC dependent, AKT independent manner PubMed nef HIV-1 Nef induces IL6 and IL8 expression through the NF-kappaB pathway PubMed nef HIV-1 Nef treatment induces IL6 and IL8 production in SVGA cells and primary human fetal astrocytes PubMed nef HIV-1 Tat and Nef combination treatment induces release of both IL-6 and IL-8 in human mesenchymal stem cells PubMed nef HIV-1 Nef expression by immature human and macaque dendritic cells (DCs) upregulates IL-6, IL-12, TNF-alpha, CXCL8, CCL3, and CCL4 release, but without upregulating co-stimulatory and other molecules characteristic of mature DCs PubMed Pr55(Gag) gag MVA-gag induces a significant release of cytokines such as IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, MCP-1, MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and RANTES by the infected monocyte-derived dendritic cells in comparison with uninfected cells PubMed Tat tat HIV-1 Tat upregulates CXCL8 mRNA and protein expression in CRT-MG human astroglioma cells PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat upregulates (CXCL8) IL8 protein expression in human monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells in a TLR4-CD14-MD2 dependent manner PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat and Nef combination treatment induces release of both IL-6 and IL-8 in human mesenchymal stem cells PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat-induced upregulation of IL-8 in a time-dependent manner involves NF-kappaB and AP-1 transcription factors, activation of the p38 MAPK beta subunit, and PI3K/Akt pathway in astrocytes PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat upregulates IL-8 expression in astrocytes, monocytes, monocyte derived macrophages, Jurkat T-cells, HeLa cells, and human brain endothelial cells, an effect that likely contributes to the immune dysregulation observed during HIV-1 infection PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat downregulates the expression of adiponectin protein and upregulates the expression of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 proteins in human SGBS preadipocytes PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat protein upregulates expression of IL-6 and IL-8 in human breast cancer cells by an NF-kappaB-dependent pathway PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat upregulates IL-8 and VEGF production and release from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL), indicating that PMNL recruitment by Tat is linked to angiogenesis PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat upregulation of IL-8 is linked to the cell cycle and involves NF-kappa B, RelA, c-rel, and CREB-binding protein PubMed tat Upregulation of IL-8 by HIV-1 Tat is implicated in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma PubMed tat HIV-1 Tat downregulates IL-8 expression in the Raji B-cell line, however in the presence of PMA+PHA Tat induced IL-8 expression PubMed tat Upregulation of IL-8 by HIV-1 Tat in astrocytes is inhibited by the MEK1/2 inhibitor UO126, indicating a role for MEK1/2 in Tat-mediated chemokine induction PubMed Vpr vpr Treatment of human primary astrocytes with HIV-1 Vpr upregulates secretion of IL6, CXCL8 (IL8), MCP-1, and MIF and downregulates secretion of serpin E1, a serine proteinase inhibitor (known as PAI-1) PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr downregulates the expression of IL8 in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr induced upregulation of CXCL8 (IL8) involves PI3K/Akt mediated activation of NFKB1 (NF-kappa-B) in astrocytes PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr-mediated upregulation of CXCL8 (IL8) involves NFKB1 (NF-kappa-B) PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr enhances the secretion of CXCL8 (IL8) from human fetal astrocytes PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr upregulates the expression of CXCL8 (IL8) mRNA in human fetal astrocytes PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr upregulates the expression fo CXCL8 (IL8) mRNA in SVGA in a dose-dependent manner PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr upregulates the expression of CXCL8 (IL8) mRNA in SVGA astrocytes in a time dependent fashion PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr enhances the secretion of CXCL8 (IL8) from SVGA astrocytes in a time dependent fashion PubMed vpr HIV-1 involves the JUN (AP-1) transcription factor in the induction of CXCL8 (IL8) in astrocytes PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr involves the CEBPD (C/EBP-delta) transcription factor in the induction of CXCL8 (IL8) in astrocytes PubMed vpr Vpr-mediated upregulation of CXCL8 (IL8) involves MAPK8 (JnK-MAPK) in astrocytes PubMed vpr Vpr-mediated upregulation of CXCL8 (IL8) in astrocytes involves p38-MAPK11 (beta isoform of p38-MAPK) PubMed vpr HIV-1 Vpr regulates interleukin 8 (CXCL8 (IL8)) expression, with reports showing both up- and downregulation of CXCL8 (IL8) PubMed capsid gag CXCL8-induced upregulation of HIV-1 p24 levels and 2-LTR circles is inhibited by CXCR1 or CXCR2 neutralization in HIV-1-infected monocytes-derived macrophages PubMed gag The binding of soluble TLR2 to HIV-1 MA, CA, or gp41 inhibits the nuclear translocation of NFKB p65 subunit and downregulates CXCL8 (IL-8) and CCR5 expression, leading to inhibition of HIV-1 infection in cells PubMed gag Treatment with chemokine CXCL8 significantly upregulates HIV-1 CA (p24) levels in supernatants of both HIV-1-infected monocytes-derived macrophages as well as microglia in a dose-dependent manner PubMed gag Evidence suggests HIV CA (p24) binds TLR2 and blocks activation by HIV MA (p17) and/or gp41 BUT DOES NOT block activation via Pam3CSK4 suggesting that HIV manipulates innate immune signaling through a TLR2-dependent mechanism PubMed gag Simultaneous exposure of TZM-bl2 cells with HIV CA(p24) and MA (p17) decreases MA (p17)- induced production of CXCL8 (IL-8) in a dose-dependent manner PubMed gag Exposure of TZM-bl 2 cells to CA(p24) for 1h prior to HIV gp41 or MA (p17) decreases CXCL8 (IL-8) production yet has little to no effect on the inhibition of Pam3CSK4 (a synthetic bacterial TLR2/1 ligand) production of CXCL8 (IL-8) PubMed gag Exposure of human T cells to HIV CA (p24) increases extracellular CXCL8 (IL-8) levels in a dose dependent manner and to a greater extent than gp41 but to a lesser extent than MA (p17) exposures. PubMed gag PLA-p24-loaded human monocyte-derived dendritic cells enhance the secretion of MIP-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in comparison with PLA-loaded cells alone PubMed integrase gag-pol The formation of 2-long terminal repeat circles, a measure of viral genome integration, is higher in CXCL8-treated, HIV-1-infected monocytes-derived macrophages and microglia, suggesting the interaction between HIV-1 IN and CXCL8 PubMed gag-pol IL-8 decreases HIV-1 reverse transcription and viral integration during the early infection, suggesting the interaction between HIV-1 IN and IL-8 PubMed matrix gag Evidence suggests HIV CA (p24) binds TLR2 and blocks activation by HIV MA (p17) and/or gp41 BUT DOES NOT block activation via Pam3CSK4 suggesting that HIV manipulates innate immune signaling through a TLR2-dependent mechanism PubMed gag Simultaneous exposure of TZM-bl2 cells with HIV CA(p24) and MA (p17) decreases MA (p17)- induced production of CXCL8 (IL-8) in a dose-dependent manner PubMed gag Exposure of TZM-bl 2 cells to CA(p24) for 1h prior to HIV MA(p17) decreases CXCL8 (IL-8) production yet has little to no effect on the inhibition of Pam3CSK4 (a synthetic bacterial TLR2/1 ligand) production of CXCL8 (IL-8) PubMed gag Exposure of human T cells to HIV MA (p17) increases extracellular CXCL8 (IL-8) levels in a dose dependent manner and to a greater extent than CA (p24) and gp41. PubMed gag The binding of soluble TLR2 to HIV-1 MA, CA, or gp41 inhibits the nuclear translocation of NFKB p65 subunit and downregulates IL-8 and CCR5 expression, leading to inhibition of HIV-1 infection in cells PubMed gag Surface plasmon resonance analysis reveals that HIV-1 p17 binds IL-8 PubMed nucleocapsid gag HIV-1 NC upregulates IL8 in HEK 293T cells PubMed reverse transcriptase gag-pol IL-8 decreases HIV-1 reverse transcription and viral integration during the early infection, suggesting the interaction between HIV-1 RT and IL-8 PubMed

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3576 - Gene ResultCXCL8 C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 [ (human)]

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Tom Brady, Steph Curry and others face a widening securities investigation over FTX crypto fraud – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 5:03 am

Tom Brady, Steph Curry and others face a widening securities investigation over FTX crypto fraud  Yahoo Sports

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The peak 49ers team finally showed up in a win over the Cardinals, and it was impressive – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 5:02 am

The peak 49ers team finally showed up in a win over the Cardinals, and it was impressive  Yahoo Sports

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Elon Musk has himself to blame for Twitter’s advertising woes, civil rights groups say – CNBC

Posted: at 5:01 am

  1. Elon Musk has himself to blame for Twitter's advertising woes, civil rights groups say  CNBC
  2. Elon Musks free speech agenda dismantles Twitter's ability to police content  The Washington Post
  3. Elon Musk never cared if Twitter was a business failure he wants a political win  The Guardian
  4. The only constant at Elon Musk's Twitter is chaos  The Verge
  5. Elon Musk's revival of Trump's Twitter account shows his political mission  MSNBC
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Genome Insight and Kun-hee Lee Child Cancer & Rare Disease Project Team of SNUH (Seoul National University Hospital) Made an Agreement About a…

Posted: at 4:59 am

Genome Insight and Kun-hee Lee Child Cancer & Rare Disease Project Team of SNUH (Seoul National University Hospital) Made an Agreement About a Pediatric Cancer Whole Genome Collaborative Study  Business Wire

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Rationalism vs. Empiricism | Concepts, Differences & Examples – Video …

Posted: at 4:58 am

The difference between rationalism and empiricism can be understood primarily in terms of three claims on which the positions disagree. The first claim is the intuition/deduction thesis. This is the idea that people can gain knowledge just by using intuition, and by building off their intuition with deductive reasoning. Empiricists generally only agree with this thesis in the case of knowledge that concerns ideas, and not knowledge concerning the external world. Rationalists, on the other hand, often claim that people can gain meaningful knowledge about the external world through intuition and deduction.

The second claim is the innate knowledge thesis. Similar to innate concepts, innate knowledge is the idea that it is simply part of human nature to know certain facts about the world, without having to learn them. The difference between a fact known through intuition and one known innately is that intuitively known facts are felt or sensed to be true when someone thinks about them, whereas innate knowledge is simply known to be true. Rationalists often identify particular claims that they believe are examples of innate knowledge. Empiricists generally hold that innate knowledge does not exist, as such a claim would go against the concept of the blank slate. Empiricists may hold that people have certain innate capacities that allow them to learn, but the knowledge itself must be the product of experience.

The third claim is the innate concept thesis. Like innate knowledge, an innate concept is one that exists within the human mind without a person having learned it. Innate concepts are different from innate knowledge because having a concept in one's mind just means understanding the meaning of some idea; it does not involve knowing a fact or statement. Rationalists often claim that people understand certain ideas innately, such as the idea of free will, or of mind and body. However, as in the case of innate knowledge, empiricists generally hold that innate concepts do not exist, because people are born as blank slates.

Although rationalism and empiricism generally advocate different views about the source of knowledge, it is not accurate to think of them as opposite positions or to view them as two binary options. Many philosophers who have been considered rationalists or empiricists actually have more complexity in their positions, and a given philosopher might follow rationalist principles in one field but empiricist principles in another.

Furthermore, rationalism and empiricism do not necessarily lead to opposing conclusions or viewpoints. For example, both rationalism and empiricism employ skepticism in their arguments. Descartes, who is generally viewed as a rationalist philosopher, argued for the importance of doubting apparent sources of knowledge and examining whether it is possible to have certainty about anything. This skeptical method was shared by empiricist philosophers such as David Hume, who examined whether the information people gain from experience is actually enough to justify knowledge about the world.

Another related shared idea is the emphasis on one's own individual perspective as the source of knowledge. According to Descartes's skeptical method, knowledge can only be gained by beginning with certainty about the existence of one's own mind. This is the source of his famous argument that ''I think, therefore I am,'' often called the cogito. The cogito claims that a person can be certain that they exist because they are thinking. This idea is linked to solipsism, the claim that other people do not truly exist or do not have minds. Descartes argues that external experience should be doubted, but ultimately claims that it is possible to gain knowledge of the outside world. Locke, who is generally viewed as an empiricist, takes up a similar idea and questions whether it is possible to know that other people think and feel. His conclusion is that there is no way to directly know that other people have minds, but that it is a reasonable inference based on observations of the world.

Rationalism and empiricism are terms used to describe different views about where people acquire knowledge. They are part of the field of epistemology, which examines the meaning, origin, and scope of knowledge. Rationalism views reason and intuition, or people's ability to sense the truth of statements, to be key ways of gaining knowledge. Rationalism focuses on deduction, or using the laws of logic to make arguments featuring conclusions that must be true. It also advocates the existence of innate ideas that people inherently possess in their minds. Empiricism, by contrast, holds that ideas and knowledge are the result of sense experience, or people's sensory interactions with the world. According to empiricism, the mind at birth is a tabula rasa or blank slate, without any knowledge or ideas. Knowledge is gained through induction, where people use experiences to make plausible inferences about the world.

Rationalism and empiricism can be distinguished based on three central claims. First is the intuition/deduction thesis: Rationalists generally consider intuition and deduction to be legitimate avenues to meaningful knowledge concerning the external world, whereas empiricists think intuition is only reliable when it comes to claims about ideas and their meaning. Next is the innate knowledge thesis: Rationalists often claim people have innate knowledge residing in their minds, whereas empiricists generally claim experience is where people get knowledge. Third is the innate concept thesis: Rationalists generally think people innately understand certain concepts, whereas empiricists disagree. Despite these disagreements, rationalism and empiricism are not truly opposing views. Many philosophers have views that incorporate both positions. There are also some issues where rationalists and empiricists take a similar approach. For instance, both rationalist and empiricist philosophers have advocated skepticism or doubt about apparent knowledge, and both have considered the issue of solipsism, or whether people can determine from their own experiences that other people exist and have minds of their own.

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Rationalist Judaism: Anti-Rationalism and the Charedi Vote

Posted: at 4:58 am

In the charedi community, there is a carefully-crafted non-rationalist worldview about bitachon and hishtadlus. It was relentlessly drilled into me during my years in charedi yeshivos that all hishtadlus is meaningless. God directly controls everything, and the laws of nature have no power. The only reason why the world seems to run according to various laws is that otherwise there would be no free will. Hishtadlus is just a price that we pay to keep that illusion going, but it doesn't actually accomplish anything. And to the extent that we recognize that, it's possible to cut down on the hishtadlus.

Supposedly, this is a major reason why many charedim don't serve in the army or gain a secular education and work for a living. To the extent that you realize that Hashem directly runs everything, you don't need to engage in the sham of hishtadlus. On the contrary - it is learning Torah which provides divine protection from our enemies, which protects us from illness, which merits our parnasa.

The divide between the rationalist and anti-rationalist approaches to theology has fascinating ramifications with regard to the electoral system.

Rav Kornfeld is a local charedi rabbinic leader in Ramat Beit Shemesh who is not afraid to openly state the Israeli charedi perspective on such matters. For example, a few elections ago, he went on record in HaModia as stating that American olim are mistaken in believing that they have the right to choose who to vote for; instead, they are obligated to vote for whoever the Charedi-Litvishe-Non-RavShmuelAuerbach camp tell them to vote for. I am very grateful to Rav Elimelech Kornfeld for spelling out the ramifications of the charedi approach with regard to the electoral process. (I say that without any sarcasm; while I disagree with the anti-rationalist approach, I think that it's important for it to be articulated and I greatly appreciate his doing so.)

For this election, Rav Kornfeld gave a speech in his shul, reiterating the contents of a letter that he once printed on the front page of a local newspaper in a previous election, in which he spelled out the charedi anti-rationalist approach with regard to the very nature of the electoral system. In that letter, he explains that it is not in the hands of any politician or party to actually do anything for us, and continues as follows:

In other words, the entire system of voting in politicians who make policies that are implemented is, like all other forms of hishtadlus, is a sham; it's merely a cover, a mask for the workings of Hashem. However, it is very important to show support for the party that espouses Torah values (which he believes to be UTJ, notwithstanding how its MK was forced to resign for corruptly manipulating his power to protect a pedophile), because that will earn us the Divine favor which actually accomplishes everything that happens.

This appears to be an ingenious way of arriving at the same end result - vote for party x - while basing it on a fundamentally different idea about what voting actually accomplishes. However, the more one thinks through its ramifications, the more complications and problems arise.

First of all, it means that rallying votes is only important insofar as it shows Hashem that (charedi) Torah is important to us. But surely one can show Hashem that Torah is important even more powerfully by actually learning Torah! Are the two yeshivah boys who stayed in the Chevron Beis HaMidrash to learn while all their peers spent several hours traveling to and from Bnei Brak not showing Hashem that learning Torah is of supreme value to them?!

Second, it means that if people cheat (from either side), that will have absolutely no effect on the fate of the Jewish People. But why, then, is UTJ searching for people to monitor the voting booths?

Fourth, it means that if charedim are unsuccessful, then that is also from Hashem (and presumably as a result of their not sufficiently demonstrating their dedication to Him). So why, after Lapid's success in the last election and his resultant policies, was their so much anger towards him? Lapid didn't actually do anything, it was all from Hashem!

Fifth, it means that the followers of Rav Shmuel Auerbach and others, who are of the view that one should not participate in elections at all, are not doing any harm. After all, they are certainly acting out of dedication to Torah and Gedolim. So why is UTJ so upset about them?

Of course, nobody in the charedi world actually acts as though they think this way. When you look at all the vast effort expended to get charedim to vote, and the tremendous passion about who actually gets in the government, obviously charedim feel that the votes and politicians inherently make a difference. It's similar to the anti-rationalist notion that yeshivah students provide protection from rockets, and that parnassah is all in the hands of Hashem and has nothing to do with hishtadlus; people might profess to believe it, but when push comes to shove, nobody really believes it. After all, there is the awkward fact that on Rosh HaShanah, Hashem apparently decrees much more parnassah overall for people who engage in hishtadlus!

I wish people would just make up their minds and be consistent. Either you accept that hishtadlus has genuine significance - in which case, give your kids the education that they need to earn a living and maintain the economy, and stop ruling out army service for your community. Or, decide that hishtadlus has no real significance - in which case, stop with all the political stuff, and don't bother voting, just learn Torah!

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Continued here:

Rationalist Judaism: Anti-Rationalism and the Charedi Vote

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