Heading Towards Humans Again

Bioethics has become an important part of everyday dynamics, encompassing both clinical and research ethics. This edited collection aims to challenge some critical cornerstones of today's contemporary bioethical concerns and issues. The individual chapters were prepared by esteemed scholars with international background in their specialties. Nowadays technological revolution is reaching a whole new level, continuously challenging us to define what is human. Keeping this in mind, the authors provided comprehensive and thoughtful views on different bioethical issues, including cultural and social influences on contemporary bioethics, posthumanism and transhumanism, death, the critical importance of informed consent, prenatal genetic testing, gene and cell therapy, mandatory vaccinations, cannabis use, antidoping concerns, treatment of rare diseases and pain management, and finally educational and legislative lines of reasoning.

One of the most influential Swedish theologians of the twentieth century, Gustaf Wingren's career spanned more than forty years of upheaval both in his field and around the globe. Provocative and challenging, Wingren revelled in a good argument and this attitude set the tone for much of his scholarship. A Swedish Lutheran, he made his name through his research into the theology of Martin Luther, breaking away from both traditional interpretations of Luther and the theology of his famous teachers, Karl Barth and Anders Nygren, before shifting his focus onto systematic theology. In a fresh take, Bengt Kristensson Uggla delves into the influence of Wingren's second wife, Greta Hofsten, on the direction of his theology. Hofsten, a left-wing political activist who was searching for a new language of faith, wove Wingren's work together with her own political philosophy to create an unusual kind of Christian socialism. Her thinking had a profound effect on Wingren, causing him to recontextualise his older work entirely. In Becoming Human Again, Uggla examines how Wingren's combative nature often served him well as a theologian, driving him to engage with innovations in the field and re-examine his older views.

Three decades of continual polypandemic more or less eradicated the weak and the elderly, and finally, through vaccination, the world population achieved viral immunity. The society changed significantly over this period. The last pandemic, caused by the AGIS-CoV-1 virus (Acute Gastrointestinal Syndrome Corona Virus-1), initially seemed similar to the previous ones, a mutation of the original, attacking specific combination of organs. This particular strain affected the intestinal tract, radically changing the gut microbiota. The symptoms, however, seemed mild, and the virus was deemed as unthreatening at the time. Even though the virus was not deadly, the aftermath altered society completely. The human microbiota was depleted severely as a result of the virus attack. Most gut bacteria types were destroyed, except some with specific mutations. Depending on the host microflora composition after the infection, several classes of behavioral responses were observed, leaving the human host dominated by only a few types of bacterial- rather than hundreds previously. The drastically altered human gut microbiota transformed the host's neurotranmsmitter biochemistry in the brain, leaving personal traits identified with the bacteria type. Six major groups in society coexisted. The groups differed not only in the gut bacterial composition but also by significant differences in behavior, leading to a society differentiated into subclasses. The impact effected the political system and led to the formation of a new religion Dr. Jonas Frost, a cell biologist, belonged to the Hyper-class, known for their typical hyperactivity and intensity. He was on the verge of making an extraordinary discovery. The bacteria had established access to the Homosapien brain and were modifying, not only the human behavior but also the genome for a new human species: The Homo U-Enteroensis.

The year is 2112 and scientists are predicting that in twenty years or so an ice age will develop, that will, in all probability, be an extinction level event (ELE). Six scientists from various scientific fields come together and are able to build a spaceship that is capable of traveling faster than the speed of light. They discover that this will allow them to travel back in time. Traveling essentially the speed of light allows them to travel forward in time. Using time travel, they go back to 2012 to try to convince people to change their ways and prevent this ELE from happening. Unfortunately, the people in that time period don’t believe them and the ice age is definitely coming. The six explorers search for an earth-like planet to which they can bring a number of people. They find a suitable planet more than two million light-years from earth. Is there time to find the appropriate individuals and transport them to this new planet before ice age engulfs the entire Earth?

Genocide involves significant death and trauma. Yet the enormous scope of genocide comes into view when one looks at the factors that lead to mass killing, the struggle for survival during genocide, and the ways survivors reconstruct their lives after the violence ends. Over a one hundred day period in 1994, the country of Rwanda saw the genocidal slaughter of at least 800,000 Tutsi at the hands of members of the Hutu majority government. This book is a powerful oral history of the tragedy and its aftermath from the perspective of its survivors. Based on in-depth interviews conducted over the course of fifteen years, the authors take a holistic approach by tracing how victims experienced the horrific events, as well as how they have coped with the aftermath as they struggled to resume their lives. The Rwanda genocide deserves study and documentation not only because of the failure of the Western world to intervene, but also because it raises profound questions about the ways survivors create a new life out of the ashes of all that was destroyed. How do they deal with the all-encompassing traumas of genocide? Is forgiveness possible? And what does the process of rebuilding teach us about genocide, trauma, and human life?

The true story of the man with the Best Job in the World The Best Job in the World is the story of how following your passions can lead to life-changing opportunities. Adventurer Ben Southall shares his experiences and lessons learned as the winner of the inaugural Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World campaign, and reveals how this has led to ongoing opportunities since. Part autobiography, part insight into the power of a unique marketing campaign, this book follows Ben's journey—from leaving the UK on his own expedition around Africa to his new role as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef. You'll learn about the skills and experiences that shaped Ben's path, together with the inevitable pitfalls that he faced along the way to living his dream. The sole winner of the Best Job in the World campaign, Ben's perspective is a unique one to share the serious challenges that arose from being catapulted into a high profile job in an idyllic location. Humorous and poignant, the story is as much holistic life guide as travel guide, providing a motivational and inspirational tale that may just be the push you need to: Get inspired—see the opportunities around you and grab them with both hands Embrace the unknown, overcome life's obstacles and challenge expectations Live out your dreams and be your authentic self Climb out of the rut and take part in the world around you In The Best Job in the World, Ben Southall answers the questions everyone is asking: "What is it like? Is it really the best job in the world?" You'll learn how to transform your interests and passions into a flexible, long-term career, and how following the road less travelled can lead to living your best life. If you're dissatisfied, stuck in a rut or merely curious, The Best Job in the World is a must-read tale of aspiration, inspiration and motivation.

Building the Human City is a first overview of the award-winning yet quite diverse works of Jesuit philosopher William F. Lynch. Writing from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, Lynch was among the first to warn against the fierce polarizations prevalent in our culture wars and political life. He called for a transformation of artistic and intellectual sensibilities and imaginations through the healing discernments and critical ironies of an Ignatian (and Socratic) spirituality. Yet the breadth of his concerns (from cinema and literature to mental health and hope to secularization and faith) as well as the depth of his thought (philosophical as much as theological) led to little initial awareness of the overall vision uniting his writings. This book, while exploring that vision, also argues that the spirituality Lynch proposes is more needed today than when he first wrote.