Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Abstract Recent advances in genetics, particularly prenatal technologies such as Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT), have enabled the analysis of fetal genetic data. Owing to their unique characteristics—such as individuality, lifelong permanence, hereditary nature, and predictive capacity regarding health status—these data represent the most sensitive form of personal information. Unauthorized disclosure may lead to identity, social, and legal risks. This study, adopting a jurisprudential–legal approach and a comparative analysis of Iranian regulations and international instruments, examines the foundations of protecting the privacy of fetal genetic data. Findings indicate that Islamic jurisprudential principles, including the prohibition of undue surveillance, the “no-harm” rule, and the principle of trust, together with international standards such as the GDPR, can provide a coherent framework for safeguarding such data. Moreover, the formulation of independent regulations in Iran is necessary, emphasizing informed consent by the legal representative, restrictions on data processing, data security, prohibition of genetic discrimination, and the principle of data sovereignty. The novelty of this research lies in linking the foundations of Islamic jurisprudence with domestic legal rules and international standards to articulate the fetus’s right to genetic data.
Keywords: Privacy, Genetic Data, Fetus, Islamic Jurisprudence, Iranian Law, GDPR, Prenatal, Data Protection, Informed Consent, Genetic Discrimination

Abstract Given the increasing trend of engineering graduates’ migration in recent years, the aim of the present study is to explain the phenomenon of engineering graduates’ migration. This research employed a qualitative approach based on Grounded Theory. The participants included faculty members in engineering and sociology from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, as well as experts and managers in the field of engineering. Using purposive sampling, individuals rich in relevant experiences and information were selected in line with the research objective, and data collection continued through in-depth, semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted through qualitative content analysis in three stages—open, axial, and selective coding—using MAXQDA 20 software. A total of 429 open codes were extracted, and through conceptual similarity and commonalities, main categories and subcategories were identified and placed within the paradigm model of Grounded Theory. The results indicate that the factors underlying the phenomenon of engineering graduates’ migration include, in causal conditions: push factors of the origin and pull factors of the destination; in contextual conditions: migration facilitation factors; in intervening conditions: migration support factors; and in strategies: intra-university damaging factors and extra-university deficiency factors. Ultimately, the main consequence of the migration phenomenon among engineering graduates is the weakening of the country’s technical and developmental capacities.

Abstract In this article, with the aim of examining the future scenarios of education system of Iran, taking into account the growing capabilities of artificial intelligence, an attempt has been made to visualize clear images of the future of this technology at the level of education in the country. The participating community was selected from among experts, professors, and scientific experts through a purposeful non-probability sampling method. The data collection method was also based on library and field studies. In this article, in the first step, 35 drivers were identified through library studies. Then, using literature analysis tools, Likert scale, interviews with experts, and MiqMaq software, 18 drivers were identified as influential drivers and 4 of them were identified as key drivers. After determining the importance and uncertainty of these drivers, finally two drivers, "interactive learning" and "teacher-student collaboration", were selected as the main axes of scenario writing. Accordingly, four scenarios with the titles " Smart Era”, “Conservative Choices”, “Reckless Dehumanization” and “Alienated Human” were developed using the GBN method. In the “Smart Era” scenario, Iranian education, by utilizing interactive learning and active human participation, becomes a platform for cultivating creativity, strengthening critical thinking, and realizing educational justice. In contrast, the “Reckless Dehumanization” and “Alienated Human” scenarios provide serious warnings about the gradual elimination of the human role, the disconnection of communication, and the dominance of machine approaches in the educational process. The “Conservative Choices” scenario also shows that even if technology and educational interaction are utilized, in the absence of human cooperation, real transformation in the educational system will not occur; an issue that is consistent with the.

Abstract This article examines the philosophical potential of Black Mirror as a narrative medium for generating cinematic thought experiments—experiments that do not unfold merely through abstract reasoning, but rather through layered storytelling, visual form, and the viewer’s affective involvement. The central focus lies on those episodes that construct what moral philosophy has termed boundary situations (Grenzsituationen): moments of existential disorientation, collapse of meaning, and the urgent need for ethical choice under extreme conditions. Drawing on key concepts from existential philosophy (Jaspers, Heidegger), contemporary virtue ethics (Nussbaum), and the phenomenology of alterity (Levinas), the paper argues that episodes such as White Bear (2013), Be Right Back (2013), White Christmas (2014), and Nosedive (2016) are not merely representations of moral crises, but immersive ethical experiences. These episodes place the viewer within the ethical dilemma itself, transforming them from passive observer to engaged moral agent—one who undergoes the cognitive and emotional tensions proper to such ethical encounters. As a result, the viewer is prompted to reflect on the contours of moral experience in liminal situations while also cultivating their own moral imagination and affective responsiveness. Methodologically, the article employs philosophical-narrative analysis, focusing on the interplay between moral imagination, audiovisual storytelling, and the affective-cognitive responses of the viewer.

Abstract Until the late twentieth century, scientific activity was often considered independent of non-cognitive factors. However, in the last few decades, many studies have challenged this notion and shown that science is also influenced by non-cognitive factors, including values. However, the problem is that the interference of values ​​can have undesirable consequences such as weakening scientific objectivity, reducing public trust, and harming democratic ideals; therefore, providing a solution that can prevent these consequences is one of the important topics in the field of science and values. The aim of this article is to explain this problem, examine and criticize existing solutions in this field, and provide a solution for it. The proposed solution emphasizes the need for the establishment of an institution and interdisciplinary cooperation; because it is shown that this problem has scientific, philosophical, and social aspects, and the appropriate solution must be able to respond to all of them. Achieving such a response is only possible through the establishment of an institution that enables interdisciplinary collaborations and assumes responsibilities at three theoretical, executive, and supervisory levels to counter the undesirable consequences of value interference.

Abstract Abstract:

In the contemporary era, technology has evolved beyond being merely a tool at the service of humanity; it has become a force with the potential to fundamentally alter nature, society, and the destiny of mankind. Characteristics such as relentless expansion, boundless power, and long-term, often unpredictable consequences have transformed technology into a unique yet perilous phenomenon. Alongside the countless opportunities that technology has provided for human progress, it has also introduced threats such as environmental degradation, social instability, and the endangerment of future generations. In response to these transformations, Hans Jonas proposed the "Principle of Responsibility," emphasizing that humanity can no longer make decisions without considering their technological ramifications. According to Jonas, ethical responsibility entails a conscious commitment to a future that is more vulnerable than ever. The unprecedented expansion of technology forces humanity to look beyond immediate and individual interests, holding us accountable for the global and long-lasting effects of our actions. From this perspective, the relationship between technology and ethical responsibility is an inseparable and fundamental one. It is a connection that, in its essence, underscores that the survival of humanity and the Earth depends on a deeper understanding of the consequences of technological actions and a commitment to principles that prioritize the preservation of life, nature, and core human values.



Keywords: Humanity, Technology, Ethical Responsibility, Consequences, Risks

Abstract This article, adopting an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach inspired by integral ecology, cultural ecology, and deep ecology, and influenced by the idea of integral education and pre-modern worldviews, delves into the fundamental assumptions, principles, and concepts of Iranian culture. When harmoniously integrated, these elements can lead to the creation of a unified and alternative educational approach, enabling an effective transition through contemporary ecological mega-crises for Iranians. This transdisciplinary harmonious integration has been endeavored by employing the methodological possibilities of problem-solving known as “design thinking.” Using “arts-based research,” this paper argues that pre-modern civilizations’ understanding of the “ongoing flow of the sacred in nature” led to a lasting relationship with the complex ecosystem network of life surrounding local communities. The primary goal of this research is to propose a “regenerative learning and education approach” that is “aligned with life.” This is achieved through recreating the profound interaction and connection between humans and the ecosystem of life, thus paving the way for the regeneration of ecosystems, with a focus on Iran’s local ecosystems.

Abstract In recent times, various "relational views" based on the "principle of complexity" have emerged as alternatives to essentialist approaches, collectively referred to as the "relational turn". However, the philosophical foundations of these views are often ambiguous, leading to potential confusion with "relativist perspectives" or "interactive views" informed by Habermas' Communicative Action. Contemporary scholarly concerns in the humanities and social sciences -such as new emphasis on materiality, embodied practices, affects and intuition, spatiotemporality, post-humanism, and even the co-disciplinary- to understand human-societal processes, stem from "relational thought" but lack proper elucidation of their ontological and epistemological underpinnings. The article employs the Synthesis Research Method to comprehensively analyze and categorize "relational perspectives" based on their ontological roots to address these issues. Moreover, it seeks to elaborate a "co-disciplinary and (deep) relational epistemological and methodological framework" by utilizing "general epistemic components" and "key components of the (deep) relational view based on flat ontology". From this viewpoint, knowledge possesses multiple, heterogeneous, mediated, and contextual nature, drawing from the intertwined resources of "conscious subjectivity" (conscious deliberation or reflexivity) and "objectivity" (external environment). Furthermore, unconscious mediators, such as "collective ideal" (culture and discourse) and "individual embodied" (psychophysical characteristics) mediators, play an essential role in shaping knowledge. Knowledge exhibits uncertain and contingent boundaries, and is in a perpetual state of "becoming". Drawing inspiration from Latour, the methodology is premised on developing "assemblage/deployment programs". Importantly, the epistemic framework can apply to a wide spectrum of fields, from humanities and social sciences to art, spatial planning, and public policy, with the potential to promote single disciplines into co-disciplinarity and co-disciplines into trans-disciplinarity.

Abstract As an interdisciplinary subject, the study of the environment requires an integrated approach. As a matter of fact, a number of thinkers in this field have used the constructivist approach to study the environmental issues because this emphasizes the role of social factors along with technical and ecological ones in explaining them. With a transtheroretical approach, the aim of the present article is to study the constructivist-interpretative paradigm and determine its cognitive aspects as well as provide a model to study the environmental issues. The paper uses Ritzer's meta-theorizing as a tool to achieve the aforementioned goals. The findings of the study of the intellectual evolution of the constructivism paradigm in classical and contemporary thoughts show that the philosophical foundation of this paradigm is intertwined in the thought of philosophers who emphasize the study of interactions between objects and subjects. This school of sociology is based on the theories of Schutz, Weber, Heidegger, Berger and Luckmann, who studied interactions and social contexts. In the sociological domain, for social issues, specifically environment, thinkers such as Spector and Kitsuse, Loseke, Hannigan, and Yearley used the constructivist perspective to study the discovery, emergence and success of these issues. With the formation of absolute and textual schools in constructivism, this approach turns from pure subjectivism to simply objective and subjective factors. As such, many other thinkers with an integrated insight pointed to multiple levels of social realities as mentioned by Ritzer. The results show that the connection and interaction of environmental issues at principal levels of the paradigmatic model of environmental realities in the constructivist-interpretive theory.

Abstract Undoubtedly, education and especially providing new and effective methods in education is one of the most important needs and concerns of any country in the contemporary world. The purpose of this paper is to show that, contrary to the fact that apparent poetry, literature and mathematics are very far from each other and unrelated, they have taste connections in different ways. In this paper, taking into account a descriptive-analytical method, while reviewing the rise and fall of this bond, the author discusses the ontology, reasons and similarities of poetry and mathematics. Also, by presenting examples, an attempt is made to show how poetry and mathematics can, to some extent, be effective and permeable in understanding and scrutinizing each other. The findings indicate that it is possible to benefit from the collaboration between of these two fields ​​in education at high schools and colleges.

Abstract In recent decades, philosophers of science have focused on how science is influenced and structured by values. This view stands in contrast to the ideal of "value-free science," which views the intrinsic involvement of non-cognitive values in scientific practice as destructive. However, today, there are many criticisms of this ideal, and it is referred to as a "bad ideal." It is now widely accepted that values and value judgments are involved in various ways of scientific practice—from selecting research projects to evaluating and accepting scientific results. This issue holds even greater importance in futures studies as a value-laden science, given its humanistic and interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary nature, which seeks to shape and construct the future. Accordingly, this article examines the role and influence of values in futures studies to clarify which forms of value involvement are legitimate and which are not. To address this question, two approaches are adopted: first, proposing a typology of values based on their goals, and second, distinguishing between the direct and indirect roles of values. Then, an attempt is made to adapt these approaches to the futures studies literature. Finally, we argue that considering these aspects can provide futurists with a framework for understanding the role and structure of values, potentially enhancing the quality, credibility, and authority of futures studies.
Keywords: desert, merit, entrepreneurship, duoethnography
In recent decades, philosophers of science have focused on how science is influenced and structured by values. This view stands in contrast to the ideal of "value-free science," which views the intrinsic involvement of non-cognitive values in scientific practice as destructive. However, today, there are many criticisms of this ideal, and it is referred to as a "bad ideal." It is now widely accepted that values and value judgments are involved in various ways of scientific practice—from selecting research projects to evaluating and accepting scientific results. This issue holds even greater importance in futures studies as a value-laden science, given its humanistic and interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary nature, which seeks to shape and construct the future. Accordingly, this article examines the role and influence of values in futures studies to clarify which forms of value involvement are legitimate and which are not. To address this question, two approaches are adopted: first, proposing a typology of values based on their goals, and second, distinguishing between the direct and indirect roles of values. Then, an attempt is made to adapt these approaches to the futures studies literature. Finally, we argue that considering these aspects can provide futurists with a framework for understanding the role and structure of values, potentially enhancing the quality, credibility, and authority of futures studies.

Abstract The central question of this paper is to investigate the historical conditions that enabled the emergence and formation of the discourse surrounding "Iranian civilization." In other words, what specific historical circumstances could facilitate the emergence of this particular form of discursive narrative (as opposed to others), and through which accumulations and concentrations of discourse has this new discursive system been produced and sustained up to the present moment? In this regard, the issue will be examined as an initial moment in the birth and development of discursive narratives (zero degree), focusing on the organizing cores of the knowledge-power system that led to the establishment of the theoretical foundations of "Iranian civilization." This analysis will be framed within Michel Foucault's archaeological methodology. By identifying and analyzing this zero-degree discourse, the initial and homogeneous moments of this narrative can be revealed, which are characterized by a lack of differentiation. This approach is reminiscent of Foucault's methodology in History of Madness. Following this process, a new discursive order emerges as a direct result of the accumulation and concentration of propositions surrounding this discourse. Specifically, this accumulation pertains to racially charged [Aryan], anti-Arab, and antiquarian propositions that emphasize a longing for a return to the lost grandeur and magnificence of ancient Iran as central signifiers within the discourse of "Iranian civilization. The concentration of these propositions around the narrative has generated a new discursive order that did not exist at zero degree. This discursive order is characterized by a dualistic formulation of Aryan [Iranian] and Semitic [Arab] as the theoretical foundation for Iranian civilization, thereby laying the groundwork for the emergence of this narrative. Prior to the emergence and hegemonization of Aryan nationalist and anti-Arab discourses—dominant within Iranian romantic nationalism that mourned for lost greatness—such a discursive order based on an Aryan-Semite dichotomy did not exist. This dichotomy later became established as a theoretical foundation for "Iranian civilization," specifically within contemporary narratives about Iranian civilization.

Abstract From the Naserite era until now, the body has always been the issue of disputes, conflicts and competition between social groups, political parties and different discourses in Iran. Despite this, studies of the body, in general, the relationship between the political system and the body in Iran, in particular, is a new domain that has not received serious attention from academic circles in the country. The present article is a systematic review of the researches accomplished in this field over the last two decades. Such a study, in addition to providing an analysis of approaches, methods, issues, and findings of these studies, and reviewing the weaknesses and strengths of the existing research, can identify the neglected fields in this domain and lead to a deeper understanding of the issue of the body as a social and political construct in the contemporary Iranian society. As such, relying on the analysis of the content and themes of the available sources, we are looking for a systematic analysis of the problematic, study tradition and methodology of these studies. The findings show that the most basic problem of these researchers is to study the role and place of the body in the process of nation building and modernity in Iran, or the body as a factor of conflict between power (political sovereignty) and Iranian social groups and activists. Also, the tradition of sociology with two theoretical approaches, post-structuralist and structuralist, can be considered as the dominant approach in the studies of politics and the body in Iranian social sciences during the last two decades..

Abstract Social criticism is considered one of the most fundamental concepts in modern social sciences, which has played a pivotal role in the analysis of power structures, dominant ideologies, and social representations since the Enlightenment. The present study, relying on the documentary method and a qualitative approach, analyzes and compares four prominent schools of thought - the Frankfurt School, feminism, post-colonial studies, and post-modernism - that have been more loyal to the social critical movement than other schools of thought, in relation to social criticism. The data were collected through a systematic review of theoretical texts and previous studies and examined with an analytical approach. The results of this analysis show that although these schools differ in terms of epistemological foundations, methodology, and historical origins, they all consider criticism to be a political, revealing, and liberating act that aims to deconstruct dominant discourses and challenge the status quo.Based on these analyses, the present study extracts five key components of social criticism—politicalness, exposure, liberation, focus on the underdog, and social construction of reality—that are considered in all four schools of thought, and provides a theoretical framework for analyzing and evaluating critical discourses. The present study has attempted to present a structured picture of the nature and function of social criticism in the theoretical context of contemporary schools of thought through case analyses.