A growing number of social scientists argue that we stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will drastically change the way we live, learn, and work. One of the terms adopted to name ...this social phenomenon is “fourth industrial revolution”. Other social scientists, in particular psychologists, have independently elaborated and discussed a concept of intelligence which is complementary, and sometimes alternative, to that measured by traditional IQ tests, namely “emotional intelligence”. In recent years, these two concepts came into contact and started interacting in scientific literature. Enhancing EI in educational programs has been seen as a possible way to prevent a predicted negative side effect of the fourth industrial revolution, namely technological unemployment. This article provides a diachronic scientometric analysis of terms and concepts. Quantitative and qualitative research tools are applied in order to reconstruct the dynamics of the Emergence, Frequency, Proximity, and Relation (EFPR dynamics) of the two concepts in the scientific literature.
The theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) enjoys considerable consensus among experts. It is widely recognized that global industrialization is producing an increase in the planet’s ...temperatures and causing environmental disasters. Still, there are scholars – although a minority – who consider groundless either the idea of global warming itself or the idea that it constitutes an existential threat for humanity. This lack of scientific unanimity (as well as differing political ideologies) ignites controversies in the political world, the mass media, and public opinion as well. Sociologists have been dealing with this issue for some time, producing researches and studies based on their specific competencies. Using scientometric tools, this article tries to establish to what extent and in which capacity sociologists are studying the phenomenon of climate change. Particular attention is paid to meta-analytical aspects such as consensus, thematic trends, and the impact of scientific works.
In recent years a debate has developed over the ties between Friedrich Nietzsche’s ideas and transhumanism. This article clarifies some issues at the meta-level of the discussion. Firstly, the author ...provides a scientometric analysis of research trends to show the relevance of the topic. Secondly, he distinguishes between two analytical perspectives, which he calls ‘noumenal’ and ‘phenomenal.’ Thirdly, by taking the phenomenal perspective, the author shows that transhumanism can be classified into four different categories, namely: quasi-Nietzschean, Nietzschean, a-Nietzschean, and anti-Nietzschean. Finally, he provides historical examples of each single type of transhumanism. This way, the article also contributes to the history of transhumanist thought.
This study compares the dominant narratives on the future of work. It shows that a paradigm shift is underway in the context of scenario analysis, as a consequence of the impetuous development of ...robotic and computer technologies. Near the two main traditions of thought, which respectively emphasize ‘technological unemployment’ and ‘compensation,’ a third vision of the future is emerging that examines trends and scenarios ignored by traditional economic theories. This third narrative places particular emphasis on the ‘hollowing out’ phenomenon. It states that automation will not cause the complete disappearance of work, but only of the average qualified one. In other words, in the absence of corrective interventions, the society of the future will be characterized by the presence of a minority of privileged citizens, who will be able to fully enjoy the fruits of automation, surrounded by a majority of citizens engaged in precarious and degrading jobs. This study shows that the third narrative is only relatively new. Socio-technical expectations went full circle, reviving a prognosis already present in Karl Marx’s works.
This article provides a detailed description of robotic weapons and unmanned systems currently used by the U.S. Military and its allies, and an ethical assessment of their actual or potential use on ...the battlefield. Firstly, trough a review of scientific literature, reports, and newspaper articles, a catalogue of ethical problems related to military robotics is compiled. Secondly, possible solutions for these problems are offered, by relying also on analytic tools provided by the new field of roboethics. Finally, the article explores possible future developments of military robotics and present six reasons why a war between humans and automata is unlikely to happen in the 21st century.
We aimed to review the current state‐of‐the‐art imaging methods used for primary and secondary staging of prostate cancer, mainly focusing on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and ...positron‐emission tomography/computed tomography with new radiotracers. An expert panel of urologists, radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians with wide experience in prostate cancer led a PubMed/MEDLINE search for prospective, retrospective original research, systematic review, meta‐analyses and clinical guidelines for local and systemic staging of the primary tumor and recurrence disease after treatment. Despite magnetic resonance imaging having low sensitivity for microscopic extracapsular extension, it is now a mainstay of prostate cancer diagnosis and local staging, and is becoming a crucial tool in treatment planning. Cross‐sectional imaging for nodal staging, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, is clinically useless even in high‐risk patients, but is still suggested by current clinical guidelines. Positron‐emission tomography/computed tomography with newer tracers has some advantage over conventional images, but is not cost‐effective. Bone scan and computed tomography are often useless in early biochemical relapse, when salvage treatments are potentially curative. New imaging modalities, such as prostate‐specific membrane antigen positron‐emission tomography/computed tomography and whole‐body magnetic resonance imaging, are showing promising results for early local and systemic detection. Newer imaging techniques, such as multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, whole‐body magnetic resonance imaging and positron‐emission tomography/computed tomography with prostate‐specific membrane antigen, have the potential to fill the historical limitations of conventional imaging methods in some clinical situations of primary and secondary staging of prostate cancer.
Objectives
The aim of the current report is to provide an update in the imaging interpretation of prostate cancer on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), with a special focus on how to ...discriminate pathological tissue from the most common pitfalls that may be encountered during daily clinical practice using the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2 guidelines.
Methods
All the cases that are shown in this pictorial review comply with the European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) guidelines for technical mpMRI requirements.
Results
Despite the standardised manner to report mpMRI (PI-RADS v. 2), some para-physiologic appearances of the prostate can mimic cancer. As such, it is crucial to be aware of these pitfalls, in order to avoid the under/overestimation of prostate cancer.
Conclusions
A detailed knowledge of normal and abnormal findings in mpMRI of the prostate is pivotal for an accurate management of the wide spectrum of clinical scenarios that radiologists may encounter during their daily practice.
Teaching Points
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Some para-physiologic appearances of the prostate may mimic cancer.
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Knowledge of normal and abnormal findings in prostate mpMRI is pivotal.
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Any radiologist involved in prostate mpMRI reporting should be aware of pitfalls.
This article reconstructs the historical circumstances that led to the emergence of futurology, as a distinct field of research, and of Herman Kahn’s scenario analysis, as an investigative tool ...alternative to trend analysis. Two main paradigms characterized prospective thinking up to the mid-20th century, a historico-literary one that emphasized the importance of imagination and artistic talent, and a technical-scientific one that favored the rigorous analysis of data and precision of forecasts. After the Second World War, these two paradigms found a virtuous synthesis in scenario analysis, a halfway approach between literary arts and science. The author argues that the use of imagination and creativity does not undermine the scientific status of futurology, just as it does not put in jeopardy that of other sciences. He also introduces the term imaginative coefficient to indicate a fundamental ingredient of prospective thinking and provides the theoretical basis of this concept.
With the advance of technoscience, digital technologies have started to reshape the traditional array of social fears experienced by younger generations by triggering the appearance of new, digital ...fears. In this article, we undertake a sociological analysis to investigate the concept of digital fears both theoretically and empirically. Our survey conducted among Russian young people aged 18–30 in 2020 (N = 1050, Sverdlovsk region, Russian Federation) showed that fear is a distinctive characteristic of the social well-being of this generation. Moreover, fear tends to become more pronounced both quantitatively (i.e., the frequency of emergence) and qualitatively (i.e. the emergence of new types). The identified digital fears of young people allowed us to draw their typology. Depending on the specifics of digital threat, the following types were distinguished: those associated with impact and control, crime and security, communication and activity, technology and innovation, and social inequality. We show that the expanding range of social fears leads to the formation of catastrophic thinking in young people, thereby affecting the level of social well-being and distorting the image of the future.
The goal of this pilot study is to investigate expressions of the collective disquiet of people in the first months of Covid-19 pandemic, and to try to understand how they manage covert risk, ...especially with religion and magic. Four co-authors living in early hot spots of the pandemic speculate on the roles of science, religion, and magic, in the latest global catastrophe. They delve into the consolidation that should be occurring worldwide because of a common, viral enemy, but find little evidence for it. They draw parallels to biblical works, finding evidence of a connection between plague and “social strife.” They explore changes in the purviews of science, religion, and magic, and how and why they have changed, as three systems of covert risk management. They speculate on the coming wave of grief when the world populations finally decide that too many people have died, and they envision cultural changes on the other side of the pandemic, to lifestyles, travel, reverse urbanization, and living and working in smaller communities. Using an unusual approach named “crowd-sourced ethnography”, they conduct un-traditional ethnography and speculate on management of covert risk in their native countries.
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