The academic imprint of Susan Strange, long considered a pioneer in the field of IPE, no longer resonates with contemporary debates about the organization and structure of the global political economy. We argue that her analytical framework continues to be a productive way to think about important current developments, most importantly in relation to what can now be called the digital age and its emergent form of capitalism. We therefore modify and update Strange’s framework to highlight its unique analytical potential, and to set out the operational principles of what we want to call a ‘neo-Strangean’ framework of authority. We then apply it to what Strange identifies as the finance or credit structure. By focusing on a core domain of political-economic power, we demonstrate our principal claim that a neo-Strangean framework of authority points towards an understanding of how new actors and imperatives are reshaping the global political economy. We close by outlining the analytical benefits that a neo-Strangean research agenda promises for the field of IPE, which for us centre on emphasizing the dynamics and disruptive consequences of a knowledge-infused global political economy in a way that pays sufficient attention to ideational and material factors.

The intuition that knowledge requires the satisfaction of some sort of anti-luck condition is widely shared. I examine the claim that modal robustness is sufficient for satisfying this condition: for a true belief to be non-luckily true, it is sufficient that this belief is safe and sensitive. I argue that this claim is false by arguing that, at least when it comes to beliefs in necessary truths, satisfying the anti-luck condition requires satisfying a non-modal condition. I also advance a plausible candidate for this condition and argue for the implausibility of mathematical Platonism on this basis.

Plastic pollution is a global issue, with microplastics gaining international attention from Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the government, the public, media and academia; microplastics are a growing source of concern. This research article aims to explore the Cape Town beachgoers’ general knowledge and understanding of microplastic pollution in terms of its potential effects on the environment and human health. Using a questionnaire, the study was conducted at Muizenberg and Lagoon Beach, and involved participants belonging to the age group of <18–64 years. A sampling technique known as convenience sampling was used. This technique allowed individuals to be selected based on their willingness to be part of the sample and their availability; it allowed participants with no obvious knowledge of microplastics to take part. The data were recorded in Excel and analysed with the Statistical Package Social Sciences. Although the public was relatively familiar with microplastics at the time of the study, 40% of the participants from Muizenberg Beach did not know what microplastics are, while 60% knew. In Lagoon Beach, 26.67% did not know what microplastics are, while 73.33% did. Environmental education and the prohibition of microplastics were identified by the majority of respondents as necessary measures for reducing microplastic pollution and further research was suggested, with some of the respondents believing that the lack of strict regulations on plastic use was the greatest difficulty in reducing the pollution from microplastics.

It is natural to assume that knowledge, like belief, creates a hyperintensional context, that is, that knowledge ascriptions do not allow for substitution of necessarily equivalent prejacents salva veritate. There exist a variety of different proposals for modelling the phenomenon. In the last years, the topic-sensitive approach to the hyperintensionality of knowledge has gained considerable traction. It promises to provide a natural account of why knowledge fails to be closed under necessary equivalence in terms of differences in subject matter. Here, we argue that the topic-sensitive approach, as recently put forward by Franz Berto, Peter Hawke, Aybüke Özgün, and others, faces formidable problems. The root of these problems lies in the approach’s prediction that a mere grasp of subject matter may help to provide insights into necessary implications that it would seem to require more substantive epistemic work to gain.

With climate change, the geographic distribution of some VBDs has expanded, highlighting the need for adaptation, and managing the risks associated with emergence in new areas. We conducted a questionnaire survey on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about vector-borne diseases (VBDs) among sample of Finnish residents. The questions were scored and the level of KAP was determined based on scoring as poor, fair, good, or excellent. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of different KAP levels with sex, age, education, and possible previous VPD infection. We received 491/1995 (25%) responses across the country and detected generally good knowledge, but only fair practices towards VBDs. Sex and age of the respondents were most often significantly associated with the level of KAP (P > 0.05). Despite the generally good knowledge, we detected major gaps, especially regarding the distinction of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis (LB), risk of disease, and protective measures. Additionally, many respondents thought the vaccination protects against LB or tick bites. This calls for awareness raising on disease risk and prevention measures. With increasing cases and the effects of climate change, surveillance of VBDs communication to the general public should be strengthened.

In the Islamic tradition, there’s a long standing controversy over the relationship between God’s attributes and His essence, giving rise to diverse theories with significant theological implications. In one respect, these views are broadly categorizable into three: A1, the doctrine of divine complexity (DDC), A2, the doctrine of divine simplicity (DDS), and B, the doctrine of divine anonymity (DDA). The entry focuses on DDS, specifically explaining the Avicennian version, and defends it against some objections from some recent DDC proponents.

This article provides a new reconstruction and evaluation of Kant’s argument in §IX of the second Critique’s Dialectic. Kant argues that our cognitive faculties are wisely adapted to our practical vocation since their failure to supply theoretical knowledge of God and the immortal soul is a condition of possibility for the highest good. This new reconstruction improves upon past efforts by greater fidelity to the form and content of Kant’s argument. I show that evaluating Kant’s argument requires settling various other issues in the interpretation of his moral philosophy, e.g. his account of moral psychology, motivation, education, and development.

Vernacular discourse about science reveals theorizations of it as a power-laden, morally charged experimentation with the world guided by (often implicit) ethical orientations. Applying these vernacular theorizations to interpret professional class science on the continent, the author argues that this science has been shaped most profoundly by the politics of independence. While indigenous projects, European imperialism, and neoliberalism shape scientific institutions, African independence continues to inform the moral and political ends toward which science is thought to work. Understanding the alignment of professional class science with nation-building can help guide the recalibration of science toward the goal of substantive independence.