STRATEGY FOR CULTURE
Year:2016 | Volume:9 | Issue:35 |Papers Count:8

Some terms, while having popular application, bear a clear and precise semantic load and are capable of being used in precise scientific discussions. Attempts have been made in the present paper to conceptually retrieve the term “religious noncommitment” and also to show how far this expression can complete our system within the framework of the discussions related to religiosity. Religious noncommitment, as a referent of the four changes in this field, is a growing phenomenon and hence it is necessary to launch a comprehensive study about it in conceptual, theoretical and practical fields. The outcome here has been conceptual retrieval and highlighting it as well as offering an explanatory model to prepare the necessary grounds for field studies and intervention in reality.

The necessity of synergy between medical and non-medical disciplines is among the intersubjective categories discussed by most of sociologists. The efficiency of health and treatment approach is subject to safeguarding other human aspects, besides life aspects, under the concept of “total man”. . This requires interdisciplinary approach and application of different philosophies in the process of socialization of actors of health system, because dealing with extra-vital themes, under the paradigmatic domination of positivism, seems to be almost impossible. The main hypothesis of the present research is that in case the bio-medicine, as a specific aspect of sacred knowledge, is taken into consideration, it is expected that “marginalization of ethics in medicine”, which has inflicted damages such as “reduction of treatment from wisdom to technique”, “medicalization of society”, and “commoditization of services”, will be effectively removed. Elimination of the consequences stemming from unjustifiable centrality of bio-medicine approach is subject to introduction of a new formulation of medical sciences and humanities in a comprehensive unity. The reformation of those educational structures that have evolved based on separation of different disciplines will be the starting point of these reforms, which will be materialized within the framework of integration of higher education system. The present paper, based on interface between “specialized preferences in bio-medicine paradigm” and “man’s extra-vital needs” is an attempt, through content analysis of qualitative data, to identify the related themes and also offer interpretative understandings based on the said hypothesis, through emphasis on organic solidarity between medical sciences and humanities.

The nature of duties in the public sector is such that the process of decision-making by government servants and managers can turn into a complex and intricate problem due to conflict of interests and roles. Today, we witness that in the era of ethical crisis and sharp decline in people’s trust in the public servants’ observance of ethical principles and legal rules an inevitable wave of responsibility has started among the organizational officials and researchers. The review of related literature acknowledges the significance of high subjective responsibility for establishment of a balance between contradictory interests and encountering intricate ethical issues as an inextricable part of public duty. The present paper, following a synthetic method, aims to identify mechanisms for enhancing subjective responsibility of public servants in 23 organizations offering public services. In the qualitative section of this research, three categories of mechanisms were identified, i. e. organizational, managerial and vocational mechanisms for promotion of subjective responsibilities. In quantitative section it was found that there is a significant gap between utilization of these mechanisms in the prevailing situation and the desirable situation of public services organizations of Iran.

The main objective of this paper is to explain the process of engagement of individuals in sports betting. Hence, the hypotheses were tested by collecting the necessary data through distributing questionnaires among a sample of 272 students of the universities of the city of Rasht. The Akers theory of social learning was applied. The findings of the study indicate that there is a significant negative correlation between aspects of social learning theory, i. e. differential association, differential reinforcements, imitation and definition and consumption level and inclination towards sports betting of the respondents. Also the regression model of the research showed that the conceptual aspects of the social learning theory can predict 0. 41 of variations of consumption level of sports betting and 0. 47 percent of variations of inclination towards sports betting. Also the respondents who are engaged in betting in extreme and pathological forms have received higher level of social and environmental impacts compared to the occasional professional gamblers and non-gamblers. In general, The findings of this research indicate that the level of participation of students in betting activities and the level of their tendency towards such activities take place in the social milieu and any change in the behavioral patterns stemming from social context in the first place requires introduction of suitable cultural patterns and in the second place it needs preventive and supportive programs for the target groups.

Given the important status of market, attempts have been made in this paper to study the changes in the business ethic in the market and the factors affecting it. Changes in the business ethic refers to change in the commitment to the rules of business ethic based on Islam in a period of sixty years. The theoretical framework employed for this paper include those of Durkheim, Weber and modernization theory. The necessary data were collected through explorative deep interview and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The participants included 36 interviewees from four generations of businessmen who were engaged in retail selling in the city of Babul in 2015. The findings of the research indicate that changes at the cultural level have gradually caused the prevalence of materialism and enhanced the society’s expectations level. Also the decline in the connections of the Bazaaris with the mosque led to low religious knowledge and weakness in commitment to some aspects of religiosity. On the other hand, the weakening master-apprentice training system, weakening the role of the institution of religion in teaching the business ethic, along with undesirable performance of vocational organizations, have created disorder in the process of professional socializations of the new entrants of workforce. On the side of these changes, the undesirable economic conditions along with increase in the social disorderliness have reduced the sensitivity of the businessmen to commitment to business ethic.

The aim of this research is to extract and introduce the accomplishments of paideia for education in the era of globalization. Three questions have been formulated to study the problem: A) What are the characteristics of paideia in Greek philosophy? B) What are the challenges of education in the age of globalization? C) What are the outcomes of return to paideia for education in the age of globalization? Conceptual analysis and conceptual interpretation were used in this study. The findings of the research show that among different approaches to the paideia in the Greek philosophy, Socratic/Platonic paideia can have significant advantages for education in the age of globalization. Globalization has created some challenges for education, including marketization of knowledge, rendering knowledge value-free, extremism in professionalism and specialization, moving towards uniformity and standardization of various factors of education. Returning back to paideia can offer a suitable solution to every challenge of globalization in the field of education. Some of these solutions are: pivotal role for values, turning to true knowledge, emphasis on free education, attention to public education, focusing on different forms of knowledge, emphasis on multidisciplinary curriculum, and heeding cultural diversity and understanding of different civilizations.

Typology or division and distinction of different types of social phenomena in the light of their common features and distinctive characteristics would lead to a better understanding and more precise study of affairs and social realities. This approach reduces perceptual disorderliness and confusion and provides one with the ability of distinguishing the social phenomena from each other which otherwise prima facie seem indistinguishable from one other. The main objective of the present paper is to shed light on the phenomenon of new spiritualism and its followers. To avoid mixing it up with similar phenomena such as new religious movements, a new theoretical typology is offered through studying the existing typologies, definitions of new spiritualism and other theoretical studies. The new typology not only removes the shortcomings of the existing typologies, but also will be ensued by an ability to abstract through highlighting the distinctions. The results led to extraction of 15 types of new spiritualists on the basis of five tendency reasons (illumination, spiritual-psychological pacification, gaining success, entertainment, and healing physical problems) classified in three tendency forms (audience, customer, and member of movement/community).

Awareness and knowledge of different viewpoints about cultural condition of a society is necessary for preparation ad successful implementation of cultural programs. The present paper is an attempt to identify the viewpoints of agents of culture in the Hamedan Province about the cultural condition of the province. Q method, which is a synthetic method, was used for this purpose. Sampling in Q method is goal-oriented. Q factor analysis and interpretation of factors indicate that there are nine viewpoints among the cultural agents, which predominantly maintain that the quality of cultural programs and the condition of society’s culture are not desirable. All these viewpoints agree that cultural measures and programs are not analyzed and their results are not assessed by experts Hence, the society’s culture is inflicted with serious problems such as religious relativism, unprofessional and unstudied cultural measures, emphasis on superficial affairs, luxuryfailure of clerics to propagate religion, weak cooperation among cultural officials, epistemic crisis and doubt in original religious beliefs, etc. The advocates of these viewpoints are not seriously concerned about the activities and promotion of hostile and destructive cultural currents such as Satanism, Bahaism, Wahhabism and inclination towards non-Islamic religions, etc. Analysis of these viewpoints can prepare the primary data for scholarly plans and will reduce the dependence of cultural decisions on personal tastes and readings.