Issue 34 (April - June 2001)

Systems are integral to human life. We see so many in nature: cycles of birlh and death. seasonal changes, the food chain, evaporation and photosynthesis, and so on. Over time, as small groups of people settled down, they began to develop political, economic, social, and many other systems to ensur…

Traditionally, civilization has been defined as the coexistence of people who come together around humanistic thoughts and feelings, and who are conscious of their being human. Since people naturally live in groups, some degree of civilization has always existed. True civilization is based on refi…

Parenting is a most challenging yet rewarding experience. Baumrind, who studied parenting styles during the early 1960s, concluded that they differ in four important areas: parents' warmth/nurturance, discipline strategy, communication skills, and expectations of maturity. She posited three types o…

Most people believe that our perception depends heavily on sight and hearing, and therefore underrate our sense of smell. As this sense is rather subjective, for a long time it was considered a matter of preference within the framework of arts and poetry. Our association of feelings and emotions wi…

Socialist ideals have appeared in literature from Plato to Marx. In its midst is Sir Thomas More's Utopia, which links ancient and modern Utopias. Hythloday's fantasy island draws heavily on the Greek republic, and yet influenced Marx. What values do they hold in common, and which ideals are unique…

The field of superconductivity is characterized by unexpected discoveries. Despite its discovery almost 100 years ago and its many applications, it is still not understood fully. For example, the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity continues to baffle scientists almost 15 years afte…

One of the three leading monotheistic religions in the world, Islam is a civilization practiced by 1.2 billion people. Easily the world's fastest growing religion, Islam is now a truly universal force. Muslims in America outnumber Presbyterians and Episcopalians combined. There are approximately 1…

Plato's (427-347 B.C.E.) political ideas remain influential. His idealist philosophy emphasizes ideas and ideals (independent of material and historical contexts), virtue vs. vice, and essential human values, and thus challenges modem philosophy's general dependence on materialism, excess "object…

For a state to function successfully, its rulers must have a realistic vision. This is acquired by building trust with the people, formulating rational economic and development policies, controlling the nation's territory, and producing educated people. Ignoring one of these interrelated aspects se…

Two people travel together. At a fork in the road, they ask a wise old man which way to take. He replies: "The right fork requires observing the road's law and brings some security and happiness. The left fork promises some freedom, as well as danger and distress. Choose your own path." The well-di…

When interacting with others, always regard whatever pleases and displeases yourself as the measure. Wish that others may receive those things that are most pleasing to you, and do not forget that whatever conduct displeases you will displease others. If you do this, you will be safe no…

Question: How should we, especially those of us who are young, interact with the world? Answer: Today's social environment is overrun with temptation and desire. Although it is hard to imitate the Prophet's sublime qualities and character, living now does have its advantages, for "the reward is pr…

E-mail, now the most pervasive Internet service available, began to be used by people even before they discovered the Web. Messaging Online states that there are about 569 million (electronic) mailboxes. Within 2 years, all televisions and phone lines probably will be outnumbered by the predicted o…