In Defence of Aestheticism

This chapter draws together the various sources of aesthetic value presented in earlier chapters of the book and articulates how together they allow us to experience the entire world as aesthetically valuable. This chapter is intended as a consolidated defence of the core aestheticist position, and can be read relatively independently of the rest of the book. Comparisons are made to historical defences of Aestheticism from Saint Augustine and Nietzsche. Various criticisms of Aestheticism that have come up over the course of the book are addressed, including the ethical objection that we ought not to aesthetically appreciate certain things; the objection that some things are ugly; and the objection that aesthetic value is too subjective. In addition to the intrinsic benefits of Aestheticism, it is then noted that the pursuit of aesthetic value has practical benefits. Most of all, it motivates us to understand the world better. In this way, Aestheticism is an important stimulus to science and philosophy.

SAINT AUGUSTINE: HIS LIFE AND INTELLECTUAL SOURCES

In this article, we aim to introduce the most prominent thinkers who emerged from the medieval period - the Christian fathers - and he is St. Augustine (354-430 AD), the most important philosophers and thinkers representing moral thought and one of the most prominent who occupied the moral problem. St. Augustine is a central figure in Christianity and the history of thought. Western alike, his name has dominated Western thought, and has not lost its luster to this day. St. Augustine immortalized his name in world history thanks to his political, religious and intellectual ideas. He is a religious man. He has his position and is revered and appreciated throughout the Christian world, especially in the world of thought. Therefore, there is no doubt that the stations of his life, his intellectual sources, and his sayings have weight, value, and influence, and a sense from us of this. Weight and Impact We saw that we take up this great character. In this research, we want to shed light on the personality of St. Augustine, who represented the Christian thought in that era, trying to focus on his life's path, highlighting the most important major milestones in his life and his intellectual sources‎‎. Keywords: The Middle Ages, Augustine, Berber, His Life, Confessions

Socio-demographic factors in relation to habitual sodium and potassium intakes among adults in Trinidad and Tobago

Background: Approximately one-third of adults in Trinidad and Tobago have high blood pressure (hypertension). Excessive consumption of sodium (Na+) is a known risk factor for hypertension. Aim: We investigated Na+ and potassium (K+) intakes and their correlates in a multi-ethnic Caribbean population. Method: Volunteers completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising socio-demographic items, physical activity (PA) and a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Foods eaten were classified by level of processing using the NOVA classification system and analysed for Na+ and K+ levels using appropriate dietary analysis software. The study was approved by the University of the West Indies at Saint Augustine Ethics Committee. Results: 11,783 adults participated in the study. Approximately 83.2% of total calories, 79% of Na+ and 40% of K+ was derived from the consumption of highly processed foods. Median daily Na+ and K+ intakes were 2759 mg and 2853 mg, respectively. Na+ intakes showed significant nonlinear increases with age ( p < 0.001) and body mass index (BMI) ( p < 0.001), and non-linear decreases with educational attainment ( p < 0.001). K+ intakes showed significant nonlinear decreases with age ( p < 0.001) and BMI ( p < 0.001), and linear increases with educational attainment ( p < 0.001). Males had higher intakes of Na+ and K+ than females. Na+: K+ was lower among persons participating in moderate to high intensity PA ≥ 150 minutes/week compared to those participating in such activities < 150 minutes/week. Conclusion: Socio-demographic factors were significantly correlated with Na+ and K+ intakes among participants and must be considered in strategies aimed at achieving healthy intakes of these nutrients.

RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS IN “THE DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MAN” BY FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY

Staying in the framework of the hermeneutic approach, this article reveals and analyses the religious and philosophical ideas of Saint Augustine of Hippo’s Confessions in the text of Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”. This study demonstrates that Dostoevsky, while staying within the boundaries of contemporary culture, independently comprehended such universal ideas and problems as the origin of evil, free will, theodicy and salvation, which were first formulated in the European philosophical tradition by Saint Augustine. The author concludes that the idea of unbounded free will and universal salvation, offered by Dostoevsky who demonstrated that rejecting individual freedom is justified only for the sake of said salvation, profoundly influenced Russian religious philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov.

Saint Augustine and the Boy with the Long Foreskin

Augustine—who in the Confessions echoes Moses in praying that God will “circumcise [his] physical and spiritual [lips] from all presumption and deceit”—deploys Paul’s allegorical reading of un/circumcision in his commentary on Genesis, De Genesi ad litteram. Here he relates the story of a boy whose “immoderately long” foreskin troubles him with fits and theological visions, during which he is directed to be circumcised and then baptized. Augustine uses this narrative to illustrate his theory of layered exegesis.