Bøger af Andreas Sofroniou

Human nature is in abundance of fundamental dispositions and traits. Theories about the nature of humankind form a part of every culture. One traditional question centred on whether humans are naturally selfish and competitive. Philosophers have tried to explain human nature in its ability to behave morally and yet selfish enough to compete for more. A broader problem is that of determining which ostensibly fundamental human dispositions and traits are natural and which are the result of some form of learning or socialization. Recent research in genetics, evolutionary biology, and cultural anthropology suggests that there is a complex interaction between genetically inherited factors and developmental and social factors. Language use by humans is now generally recognized as genetically enabled, though the acquisition of any specific language also requires appropriate environmental stimuli. Behavioural differences between genders also appear to have a genetic basis, as does sexual orientation.

Religion is a crucial source of legitimacy and Political mobilisation in Cultures. Conflict between groups is often within one state, based upon different religion, race, language, culture, history and ethnicity. Chaos may be caused due to scarce resources or in forms of oppression and prejudice, racism, segregation, and discrimination; culminating in civil war.Language differences reinforced by religious beliefs have often been a focus of political tension. Ethnic conflict is widespread in former colonies, where borders were drawn with no regard for the cultural differences. Secularisation and decline of religious belief are regarded as hallmarks of modernisation.

Concepts and writings are not timeless and should instead be understood in terms of the historical context in which they developed.Ideology is a political belief-system which explains the world as it currently is and suggests how it should be changed. The term describes social classes, especially that of capitalism or bourgeoisie. Ideology is recognised as the means by which people perceive the social world and consciously subscribe to a political creed.Idealism is a set of views according to which the physical world is dependent upon the mind; we somehow create the world. Idealists are not saying that our experience of the world is other than what it is; simply a collection of 'ideas' that are coherent. Politics is the study and practice of how people are governed. Efforts are made to influence, gain, or wield power at various levels of government, internally and internationally, including dispute resolution, formal elections to the threat or use of outright coercion or force.

The Hellenic Diaspora (Dispersion) is the collective term for the process which began with the accelerated destruction of the captured Greek territories by the Roman Empire. Some Greeks interpret diaspora as exile, others as a positive aspect of Hellenism's ethnic and spiritual destiny, who remained loyal to their faith, ethnicity and homeland. The beheading of Archimedes was the beginning of the brain drain of Greeks to the Middle East, Asia and Northern Africa.The existence of these diaspora communities was also an important factor in the spread of Christianity. By the early Middle Ages Europe was the centre of Hellenic scholarship, but from the time of the Crusaders, anti-orthodoxy and the persecution of Hellenes begun. Eastern Europe welcomed Greek victims of persecution and by the 17th century Eastern Europe had become the diaspora's centre, until the massacres of the 1821 and 1915 by the Ottomans, thus many Greeks migrated to Germany, Britain and the USA.

THEOLOGY RELATIONSHIP OF RELIGIONS AND PHILOSOPHYTheological functions and interests imply that theology can master the disciplines with which it is confronted. Theology is based on authority (revelation) as documented in scriptures of various religions, philosophical, philological, historical studies and hermeneutical (critical interpretive) questions. Theological tasks broaden into a concern with the history and traditions of religions. With such approaches difficult and controversial questions arise; whether and to what extent the scriptural standards of the sources of revelation are modified by traditions.These problems play an important part in the relationship of people, cultures and their political philosophies. Thus, the question of truth posed by theology requires the constitution of a discipline that specifically concerns itself with fundamental questions, as is in systematic theology.

Every individual has the right to pursue knowledge, to engage in research, or to teach independently of any political control. Academic freedom is desirable because knowledge is best discovered by the open investigation of facts and opinions. Nations exercise control over academic and educational systems. Some exploit this control for the purpose of indoctrination.Political theorists as diverse as Plato and Marx have argued that education gives people power to change their lives and enables whole societies to develop. The value of education can be illustrated by its impact in poorer countries. For the individual, education means access to better-paid, more varied jobs and higher status. Governments usually wish to hold down the potentially limitless costs of education while ensuring the production of a skilled and law-abiding citizenry, whereas others may have concerns about curriculum, assessment and discipline. In consequence, battles may be fought, but are rarely conclusively won.

This collection of five different fiction books includes the titles of: Spiralling Adversaries, Bloomin' Slums, Yusuf's Odyssey, Hatched Free, and Freaky Lands.Over the years, Andreas Sofroniou's style of writing, prompt other writers to offer comments, such as these:"Great taster at the beginning to spur the reader into turning the page.""Such mastery of words, painting glorious pictures.""Observant too - with such lines as (about death) '...is a clumsy thing of the darkness...discovered in the dawn.'"" ""Terrific!""Mystery from the onset, these are stories of action and surprise."In writing books of fiction and anthology, the author's intention has always been to encourage the reader to concentrate on the pages without stopping his/her reading and to exclude the outside world.

This book includes simple definitions of philosophical concepts of great thinkers from around the world. Currently, the latest views of politics and the philosophical aspects of these are not helping any peaceful solutions; with the world powers striving for attention to their megalomaniac ambitions. The remarks that walls must be built to keep immigrants out, trade embargos and leaders of being weak are all negative. 'Fools build walls, wise men build bridges' makes sense and ought to encourage people to read more about political philosophy. This isolationistic attitude can be clearly defined by the psychotherapeutic branch of philosophy. In old age people regress to the earliest stages of their development. Thus Presidents, Prime Ministers and Leaders of Governments bear the same syndromes of regressive behaviour. In feeling omni-powerful the bigger nations take advantage of disagreements and conflicts; when they consider it appropriate to invade and cause havoc among the minorities.

The simplistic explanation of psychotherapy is that it deals with the treatment of disorders of emotion or personality by psychological methods. Formerly, this was the treatment of disease by psychic or hypnotic influence. As the profession of psychotherapy is now established, the treatment of emotional or behavioural problems by psychological means, often in one-to-one interviews or small groups, is now the accepted norm.The amount of branches in the fields of psychotherapies, psychology and counselling, medical and psychiatric treatments; the schools of ideas are innumerable. In certain cases the encouragement to develop their talents, follow academic studies, and show them the way of professional portability and continuous self-development will improve their chances for suitable careers. Any of these may be the suitable treatment of uncertainty, anxiety, panic attacks and a few other psychological and medical complaints.

The UN was designed to ensure international peace and security and its founders realized that these could not be achieved without attention to issues of rights: political, legal, economic, social, environmental, and individual. Its structure reflects the power relationships of the post-1945 world, despite the fact that the world has changed dramatically with respect to the post-Cold War relationship and the dramatic increase in the number of independent states. The UN is a reflection of the realities of international politics. Its economic divisions are revealed in the voting arrangements of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the viewpoints within the Secretariat.The norm of national sovereignty runs into persistent conflict with the constant demand by many in the international community; that the UN take a more active role in combating aggression and alleviating international problems. Thus, it is likely that the UN will continue to be seen by its critics as either too timid or too omnipotent.

This book is dealing with the study of mythology around the world, relating to and dealing with the interpretation of myths, legends, and occasionally extending to logos, speech. It explains myths and their allegorical narrative pertaining to the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people and their branch of knowledge that deals with a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something. Myths explained as traditional stories about the past, often including religious or fantastic elements; as they can be found in all societies, although they may function in different ways. They may be attempts to explain the origins of the universe and of mankind, the development of political institutions, or the reasons for ritual practices, or they may simply be told for the love of a good story.

The political activities of the various nations involve the study and practice of government and the exercise of authority. Efforts are made to influence, gain, or wield power at various levels of government, internally and internationally, rather than in private settings and associations. Modes of political activity are highly diverse, varying from dispute resolution and formal elections to the threat or use of outright coercion or force. The degree to which people can engage in political activity also varies in different countries: in open societies, individuals have more freedom to participate in the exercise of political power than in closed societies, where such power is restricted to small groups. There has also been pressure for more democracy at a lower level, particularly in the way that work is organized. The social conditions for stable democratic government have been extensively discussed, with level of economic development apparently the most important single factor.

From the mid-16th century to the beginning first quarter of the 21st century, economic thought can be split into five main historical schools: mercantilism; the economics of the French physiocrats; classical economics; Keynesianism; and monetarism. The schools do not necessarily encompass the views of all economists. The mercantilists, between the mid-16th and mid-18th centuries, argued that the wealth of nations depended on their balance of trade. Proponents of the theory were concerned to maximize the amount of precious metals in the country. Protectionism was encouraged. Economic forecasting and growth are variables, either macro-economic (for country/ies) or micro-economic (for product/market), which deals with the increase in the productive capacity of an economy.

Recent religious conflicts around the world and frequent invasions of powerful countries into other peoples' territories, makes life even more difficult for the people who are pursuing equality, the application of International Human Rights, and the solutions to conflicts. It is very difficult for me, as an author and a firm advocate of peace and freedom, to write about the International Rights for the Human Races, Women, Children, Families, Animals, Religions, Politics, Gay Movements, Wars, Freedom, Democracy and Free Will, their Conflicts and all their Legal implications. Therefore, in writing this book I tried to include real life experiences and draw from history, institutions, and recent events, worldwide. Also, in order to justify the contents of a manuscript of this kind I borrowed from examples of how people survive poverty, family conflicts, invasion, war, escape, ethnic cleansing, people misplacement, migration, refugee camps, and recession.

This book deals with Metaphysics as a branch of philosophy which studies the most general categories, concepts and descriptions of ourselves and the world; causality, substance, ontology, time, and reality. Metaphysical questions can ask whether our actions are subject to causality, which gives rise to the problem of free will, and the question of whether our mental experiences involve a separate substance from body is a major issue in the philosophy of mind. Although metaphysics dates back to the ancient Greeks, the rise of science led to attempts by philosophers to limit the claims of metaphysics, and earlier in the last century scientifically minded philosophers such as the logical positivists claimed that metaphysical assertions were meaningless. In modern times the term used for the interpretation of Metaphysics is widely miscomprehended. The misunderstanding of the subject of Metaphysics extends to the mystical and esoteric feelings of the oriental religions and conceptions of therapeutic methods.

This book is about sleeping and dreaming as explained by arts and science: where sleep is described as being the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. The contents detail the body's relaxation as induced by graded switching off of the nerves. All species of mammals undergo regular periods of it, varying with age, species, and with the seasonal changes of day length. Sleep is a natural state of torpor, and a lowering of consciousness associated with changes in the patterns of electrical waves recorded from the brain. Additionally, it clarifies the dream states, as a series of thoughts, images, poetry, or emotions occurring during sleep. Dreams can also be experiences of waking life: having the characteristics of a dream as a visionary creation of the imagination; as a day-dream state of mind marked by abstraction or release from reality; a reverie, as an object seen in a dream-like state; and vision, as a wishful creation of the imagination.

The nine sections of this book, under the title of ART FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY include the understanding of the children's and adults' approach to life, their artistic expressions, and the various diagnostic methods of art, as regards the behaviour and therapy of human beings. Explained in the book are the concepts of doodling, scribbling, painting, sketching, sculpturing, and art in general. Also, described are the history of cinematography and its modern technological devices, such as the imaginary stories and the computerised cartoons for all ages of viewers. The history of sorcery and magic, and their modern scientific concepts are also included. Described and illustrated in length are: Art Therapy as a recognised profession, Adlerian Individual Psychology, Jungian Psychotherapy, Freudian Psycho-analysis, the ethical approach to practising, and how in modern times these occupations handle the treatment of children and adults.

Through the ages man has been pre-occupied with logic, sanity and moral standards, probably more than other concepts. Societies through their various stages of evolution varied the theme with distinct differences in their demands on standards, dogmas, and regional culture. These variations of morality place a big demand on science. Individuals from different cultures, social groups, of known and unknown social norms may occupy the practitioner's couch; the significance of this being the understanding demanded of the therapist. People live in groups and humans choose to live in groups, simply for what they can get out of society. Those who choose to live in solitude become recluse in monasteries and nunneries, or become thinkers in isolation high up in mountains. The causation theory regarding the logic and sanity analysis in this book includes the seemingly necessary connection between one event (the cause) and the other (the effect).

The History of Systems, Engineering, and Technology are the terms used to describe the applications of computing and engineering in general. Such terms have become prevalent with the increasing use of computers, data processing, and information retrieval. The contents of this book deal with all processes within IT, architecture, telecommunications, operating system, applications languages, e-commerce, databases, machines, and their analyses. Under the section of Technology the book includes the history of technology, engineering in the ancient world, tools and weapons. The book also covers the recent manufacturing of military technology, agriculture, crafts, communications, and the atomic power. In this write-up the subjects of pharmaceuticals and medical technology, space exploration, science, criticisms of technology, the dilemmatic nuclear technology, and their histories are well presented. The population explosion and its impact in modern societies, education and crime, are discussed accordingly.

International law, sometimes called the law of nations, has evolved over the last 400 years. The three major sources of international law according to Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice are: international conventions or treaties; international customs; and the general principles of law as recognized by civilized nations. The Permanent Court of Arbitration was established by the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907, and the Permanent Court of International Justice was set up in 1921 and succeeded in 1946 by the International Court of Justice. Since World War II international organizations such as the UN and its related bodies have contributed to the expansion and increased scope of international law to include political and strategic affairs, economic, social, communications, and environmental matters. By the 1990s international law had shown its durability and flexibility by expanding to cover new areas of world relations, and its efficacy through the machinery of the UN.

Living harmoniously means; an accord, in conformity with articulation, compatibility, integration, togetherness, and in unity with friends who also live in harmony. Through the centuries, the subject of harmony, or happiness, was debated as part of ethics; the philosophical study of the nature and grounds of moral thought and action. Ethical theories in this pure sense are sharply distinguished from moral systems, which are directed towards drawing up particular sets of rules by which to live, and from practical or applied ethics, the analysis of arguments advanced for particular moral conclusions. The most fundamental question in ethics is usually taken to be the justification of morality that is whether or not it can be demonstrated that moral action is rational. With all the enlightenment based on the results of modern scientific research and the new model of literature; fiction and poetry, the need for a harmonious living and happiness still remains unchanged - ever since the ancient times.

Adler, Alfred - the psychiatrist whose influential system of individual psychology introduced the term inferiority feeling/complex. He developed a flexible, supportive psychotherapy to direct those emotionally disabled by inferiority feelings toward maturity, common sense, and social usefulness. Adler maintained a strong awareness of social problems, and this served as a principal motivation in his work. From his earliest years as a physician he stressed consideration of the patient in relation to his total environment, and he began developing a humanistic, holistic approach to human problems. Adler explored psychopathology within the context of general medicine and in 1902 became associated with Sigmund Freud. Gradually, differences between the two became irreconcilable, notably after the appearance of Adler's Study of Organ Inferiority and Its Psychical Compensation, in which he suggested that persons try to compensate psychologically for a physical disability and its attendant feeling of inferiority.

If one schematically compares the three principal tendencies in psychotherapy (Freudian, Jungian, Adlerian) with regard to the direction in which their central thought leads, one could say:- The analytical method of Sigmund Freud looks for the causae efficientes, the causes of the later behavioural disturbances. Alfred Adler considers and treats the initial situation with regard to a causa finalis and both see in the drives the causae materiales. In Carl Gustav Jung's case the term 'synthesis' is based on his abandonment of the causal thinking of the alternative psychological methods of treatment. Jungian psychotherapy, therefore, is not an analytical procedure in the usual meaning of this term. Whatever the differences among Freud's, Jung's and Adler's extensive works on the therapeutic methodologies; scientists, artists, thinkers and practitioners accept the great importance of Adler's, Freud's and Jung's studies for medicine, psychology, anthropology, religion, art, history, literature,etc.

CHIRP AND CHAT A poem is an art where words construct sentences, verses using metaphors and symbols, which in turn are based on imagination, facts, and life experiences. What prose can explain in three hundred pages, a poem (as a masterpiece) can express in one single page; with more meaning, using larger-than-life pictures describing timeless classic scenes, memorable events and bringing immortality to life itself. For us Cypriots, a poem means the creation of anything, in this case structurally using words with specific meaning. A poem does not have to rhyme and yet it can be a stanza, a canto to a loved one, an ode to a hero, a sarcastic remark to emphasise the importance of a point made, an elegy composed to explain feelings arranged as a work of art. The poems in this anthology have endured time and kept the promise of including all that is described above. The subjects chosen, show such versatility that the reader will require time to read the elevated expression of thoughts and feelings.