Speech act theorists take a gift to be among the range of things we can do with words. They also disagree regarding the extent of the participation of the giftee in the act. Can a gift be made unbeknownst to its recipient? If not, is the latter required to accept the gift, in addition to hearing and understanding the utterance through which it is made? Because they give their insights about gifts in passing, speech act theorists also leave important aspects of the act in the dark. They hint at the power of gifts to modify the deontic status of its two parties, but leave to one’s guess the details of the related changes. The aim of the chapter is to reflect further on these quandaries and neglected sides of gifts in light of Reinach’s theory of social acts. The main result of the present Reinachian inquiry is that the puzzles raised by the illocutionary act of making gifts dissolve once attention is redirected from the thing that is gifted to the ownership over that thing.

This chapter considers the presentation of virtue and happiness in the Meditations and asks how far this matches the distinctive features of Stoic thinking on these topics. The main topics considered are (1) the virtue–indifferents distinction, (2) the presentation of the virtues as forming groups or as unified in some way, (3) the virtue-happiness relationship and the idea of happiness as ‘the life according to nature’, meaning according to human or universal nature (or both). Overall, it is suggested that, although Marcus’s focus in the work is on the contribution of these ideas to his overall project of ethical self-improvement, his presentation largely reflects the ideas and connections between them that we find in the standard ancient accounts of Stoic ethics.

In this chapter the reader learns about what emotions can trigger a BFRB, how urges affect behavior, and how to manage difficult emotions differently, without picking or pulling. We also explore how BFRBs function as a response to certain emotional experiences or as an effort to try and solve these emotions, though in an unhealthy manner. Readers learn how to better manage difficult emotions through coping skills, distress tolerance techniques, and acceptance strategies that are geared toward learning how to tolerate emotions without trying to change them. Finally, readers learn about the nervous system and how sometimes feeling over-or under-stimulated can lead to hair pulling and/or skin picking.

We go back in history and discuss the historical dimension of sociolinguistics. We focus on life in the British Isles in the Early Modern period and discover that most of the British population spoke regional and social varieties. As a result of profound changes in society, the history of English is manifold and more diverse than is suggested by a Standard-oriented lens only. We look into language standardization in Late Modern England (1600–1900) and discuss the validity of data, as special care needs to be taken when assessing written data from times when education and schooling were a rare privilege. We present English language ideologies in general, particularly relating to standardization and the persistence of dialect variation. We end with a presentation of groundbreaking studies in English historical sociolinguistics to show how one can gain insights into variation and change despite methodological challenges.

This loosely argued manifesto contains some suggestions regarding what the philosophy of religion might become in the twenty-first century. It was written for a brainstorming workshop over a decade ago, and some of the recommendations and predictions it contains have already been partly actualized (that’s why it is now a bit "untimely"). The goal is to sketch three aspects of a salutary “liturgical turn” in philosophy of religion. (Note: “liturgy” here refers very broadly to communal religious service and experience generally, not anything specifically “high church.”) The first involves the attitudes that characterize what I call the “liturgical stance" towards various doctrines. The second focuses on the “vested” propositional objects of those attitudes. The third looks at how those doctrines are represented, evoked, and embodied in liturgical contexts. My untimely rallying-cry is that younger philosophers of religion might do well to set aside debates regarding knowledge and justified belief, just as their elders set aside debates regarding religious language. When we set aside knowledge in this way, we make room for discussions of faith that in turn shed light on neglected but philosophically interesting aspects of lived religious practice.

This chapter contains a broad overview of the technical and environmental issues to be addressed in the contruction of onshore wind energy projects. The former include ecological considerations, including birds and mammals; the requirements of typical pre-construction ornithological surveys are described with an example. Public safety and acceptance is discussed in the context of catastrophic damage to wind turbines, visual impact, shadow flicker, and noise nuisance. In the last case equations and simple rules for noise assessment are given in the context of typical planning guidelines. Sound power levels for a range of commercial wind turbines are compared, and empirical relationships given relating noise to rated output, and rotor size and tip speed. Risks to aviation are discussed, covering aircraft collision and interference to radar systems, including both primary and secondary surveillance radars. The concept of ‘stealthy’ wind turbine blades is discussed, and described in outline. Other siting criteria include avoidance of RF and microwave communications beams and television interference. Rules are given to avoid interference, while minimising required separation distances.

In this chapter, we describe the most important policy evaluation criteria that can be used to choose the appropriate mix of energy and climate policy instruments. We give space to economic efficiency, effectiveness, macroeconomic effects, equity, acceptability, enforceability, and administrative practicability. In the second part of the chapter, we present a simple overview of the most important economic models that can be used to estimate the impact of the introduction of energy and climate policy measures, such as applied general equilibrium models and integrated assessment models. Further, we provide a short introduction to some policy evaluation methods such as randomised controlled trials, difference-in-difference, and regression discontinuity designs that can be used to evaluate policy effectiveness.

Because they touch upon our inner emotions constitutions can be important vectors for legitimacy (of the political and/or legal system they govern). Like constitutions, legitimacy is a belief we have in and attribute to a (political, legal, etc.) system. The chapter shows how legitimacy and the acceptance of authority work.

This chapter explains the interventions that are used to repair and strengthen relationships. It starts with a description of common evidence-based therapeutic interventions, including forms of behavioral couple therapy and emotionally focused couple therapy. Then it reviews the evidence supporting short-term and long-term benefits of therapeutic interventions to improve relationship functioning. The second half of this chapter reviews educational interventions that can strengthen relationships and keep them from becoming distressed, including PREP, a widely used and adapted couple relationship education program. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how therapeutic and educational interventions can be strengthened by increasing their accessibility and by adapting them for minority (e.g., same-sex) couples.

This chapter focusses on the importance of conspicuous generosity to the emperors and their heirs. Euergetism describes a performed relationship between rulers and ruled, where exchanges of goods, money, and clout are transacted. The expectation of such generosity is important for the stability and legitimacy of an emperor’s reign, which makes the question of succession a secondary focus of this chapter: how did the Roman emperor secure the future legitimacy of his position?

This chapter deals with the formation of contracts under the civil code and shows that the process is effectively the same as in Western legal systems, requiring an offer and a corresponding acceptance, as well as common intention among the parties.

Change is inevitable. We have a choice: we can either act to maintain control as much as possible during change, or we can let changes occur to us, which leads to pain and loss of independence. This chapter defines strategies for Adaptability. Be realistic. Don’t be fearful of slowing down. Collect information on resources designed for older adults. Join support groups. Volunteer. Engage in social events. Take advantage of digital world to communicate with family. Learn to use new gadgets. Ask for help. Don’t wait for red flags. Research transportation options. Realize early when you need more help. Make your home or apartment safe. View adapting as an opportunity to discover new things about yourself.

Each of the individuals considered in the book had a different relationship to landscape. This reflected the varying circumstances, situations, events and influences (including cultural influences) that shaped their lives. Despite these contrasts, it is possible to identify four broad groupings. Adherers like Hallam and Cresswell were motivated by a passionate need to maintain their connection with a cherished past. Rural landscapes associated with this past served as a guarantee of its continuity. Withdrawers such as Dickinson and Spear Smith sought to escape from an oppressive present, be that family tensions and social prejudice as in Dickinson’s case, or Spear Smith’s vocational difficulties. Restorers turned to the countryside as a place in which they could reconnect with and re-energize belief systems that had been challenged, disrupted or pushed aside by personal exigencies or professional demands – medical practice for Johnston and probation work for Bissell. Finally, Explorers like Barmes and Catley valued rural landscapes above all as sites of self-discovery and self-development.