Logos Universality Mentality Education Novelty: Social Sciences

Global Order of Civilizations: Institutions of the Global Order of Civilizations.The Global Mediator of Civilizations (the GMC)

Madalina Virginia Antonescu — 2025-12-19

During the 21^st century, new powerful actors will start dominating and influencing the present international system (as an inter-state, classical type of system). In our opinion, alongside metropolises and megalopolises (as present infra-state actors), civilizations will be the future global political-economical stage “gladiators”. Nevertheless, we cannot reduce the civilizations (as complex ensembles of trans-regional and even continental identities) to the religious element, but we have to treat them as multi-dimensional actors, capable to express a distinct political will at global level, through a specific framework of future institutions, and capable to respect rules of a new global order. We prefer to call that type of order, deeply influenced by civilizations, as “the global order of civilizations” (generating a future inter-civilizational law). One original institution of the second half of this century, in this type of order, that we are proposing, is“the Global Mediator of Civilizations/GMC”, as situated to a superior level in comparison withthe present United Nations Organization (that is an inter-state conventional type of framework, still not appropriate for regulating and implementing the principles of a Civilizational Magna Charta, neither to exert control over the civilizations, as trans-state mega-actors, into the 21^st century).

The Effects of Domestic Violence Legislation on Victims: A Socio-Legal Approach

Loredana Terec-Vlad — 2025-12-19

Domestic violence legislation plays an essential role in protecting victims and discouraging abusive behaviour. A socio-legal approach reveals that the effects of these rules are not limited to sanctioning the aggressor, but profoundly influence the victim’s recovery and social reintegration trajectory. On the legal front, the introduction of protection orders, the explicit criminalization of domestic violence and the facilitation of access to justice have represented important steps in strengthening an effective legal framework. These measures offer victims the opportunity to benefit from protection quickly, even before the completion of a criminal trial. At the same time, legislative changes in recent years, including the recognition of psychological and economic violence, reflect a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. From a social point of view, legislation contributes to changing public perceptions of domestic violence, encouraging victims to break the silence and access available services. However, the positive effects are conditioned by factors such as the victim's level of information, access to support services (counseling centers, shelters), the professional training of the personnel involved (police officers, social workers, judges) and the availability of financial resources. A socio-legal approach also highlights the discrepancies between the law and its application in practice. For example, the protection order, although effective in theory, may become ineffective in the absence of monitoring of the aggressor or inter-institutional cooperation. Also, the social stigmatization of victims or economic dependence on the aggressor may limit the positive effects of legal intervention. In conclusion, legislation on domestic violence is a crucial but not sufficient instrument. Its efficiency depends on a coherent implementation and the integration of social services into a functional support network. Only through an integrated vision, which combines legal protection with psychosocial support, can sustainable results be achieved in the process of rehabilitation of victims and prevention of recidivism.

Digital Capital and the Transition to Digitalization in Romanian Social Work: A Theoretical and Applied Perspective Book Review: Alina Bărbuță, The Digital Capital Index in the Context of the Transition to Digitalization of the Social Work System, Lumen Publishing House, Iași, 2025 [Indexul capitalului digital în contextul tranziției către digitalizarea sistemului de asistență socială, Editura Lumen, Iași, 2025]

Antonio Sandu — 2025-12-19

This review examines Alina Bărbuță's work on digital capital in Romanian social work, which offers a significant contribution to digital sociology and social work practice. The book proposes digital capital as a distinct form of capital, extending Bourdieu's theoretical framework to the digital context. Through three complementary empirical studies employing methodological triangulation, the author analyzes the integration of digital competencies in social work education, students' digital literacy levels, and labor market expectations. The work highlights Romania's position among Europe's lowest-ranked countries in digital competencies according to DESI, emphasizing persistent digital divides across urban-rural, gender, age, and socioeconomic dimensions. The author develops a digital profile for entry-level social workers and provides evidence-based recommendations for curricular reform and public policy development, demonstrating how digital capital mediates the relationship between online experiences and offline outcomes in social work practice.

Book Review of “Planificarea teritoriala integrata a unui sistem montan omogen. Microregiunea Pădurea Craiului”, by Daniela Antonescu, 2025, LUMEN

Radu Rey — 2025-12-19

The book titled “Planificarea teritoriala integrata a unui sistem montan omogen. Microregiunea Padurea Craiului” [Integrated Territorial Planning of a Homogeneous Mountain System. Padurea Craiului Microregion], published in May 2025, is the latest book by the author, Daniela Antonescu, scientific researcher II at the Mountain Economy Center of the Romanian Academy. With over 25 years of experience in academic research, the author follows the trajectory of the integrated territorial planning and development process in the Padurea Craiului Microregion, providing a complete, relevant and objective picture of the profile of this Romanian mountain area characterized by a special beauty and importance.

Challenges for the Study of the Phenomenon–Thing-in-Itself Distinction in Kant – Revisited through Cassirer

Eugen Staicu — 2025-12-19

This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Immanuel Kant’s distinction between phenomenon and noumenon (the “thing-in-itself”) and Ernst Cassirer’s reinterpretation of this distinction. Focusing on how each thinker delineates the limits of human knowledge, it examines Kant’s epistemological boundary between appearances and things-in-themselves and then explores Cassirer’s transformation of that boundary through his philosophy of symbolic forms. The analysis highlights how Cassirer, as a Neo-Kantian, extends Kant’s critical philosophy into the cultural domain, mediating the noumenon via symbols and cultural meaning. The implications of this comparison are far-reaching: the concept of freedom is reframed by situating human autonomy either in a noumenal realm (for Kant) or in the creative spontaneity of culture (for Cassirer); the understanding of modernity and technology is enriched by considering Kant’s critical limits alongside Cassirer’s view of science and technology as symbolic constructions; a more pluralistic cross-cultural philosophy emerges from Cassirer’s vision of multiple symbolic worlds, complementing Kant’s universalism; and the human sciences gain a philosophical foundation by Cassirer’s integration of cultural forms with Kantian rigor. In conclusion, the paper argues that Kant’s Critical philosophy and Cassirer’s philosophy of culture are not opposed but complementary: Kant provides the necessary critical boundaries for knowledge and morality, while Cassirer expands this framework to include the richness of cultural life and symbolic mediation, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of human experience.