Oklahoma City University

About: Oklahoma City University is a education organization based out in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Supreme court & Comparative law. The organization has 240 authors who have published 421 publications receiving 6923 citations.

Rethinking Sustainability to Meet the Climate Change Challenge

Abstract: This article presents a preliminary effort to capture the dialogue at the Environmental Law Collaborative’s inaugural Workshop. Attendees engaged in the re-conceptualization of sustainability in the age of climate change, premised on evidence that climate change is forcing changes in the norms of political, social, economic, and technological standards. As climate change continues to dominate many fields of research, sustainability is at a critical moment that challenges its conceptual coherence. Sustainability has never been free from disputes over its meaning and has long struggled with the difficulties of simultaneously implementing the “triple-bottom line” components of environmental, economic, and social well-being. Climate change, however, suggests that the context for sustainable decision-making is shifting. The event produced an intensive and collaborative conversation on how to assess sustainability in the age of climate change. The essays appearing here examine the process of adapting the principles and application of sustainability to the demands of climate change, including (but not limited to) framing the term “sustainability” in climate change discussions; coordinating sustainable practices across disciplines such as law, economics, ethics, and the hard sciences; and conceptualizing the role of sustainability in formulating adaptation and resiliency strategies. These essays also contemplate the role of law and legal systems in crafting effective climate change adaptation strategies and consider feasible strategies in the context of specific examples.

Has a Robotic Dog the Buddha-nature? Mu!

Abstract: Japanese Zen Buddhism offers a perspective on humanrobot interaction (HRI) that notably differs from views normally encountered in the Abrahamic religious traditions of the West. Professor Masahiro Mori’s book, The Buddha in the Robot: A Robot Engineer’s Thoughts on Science and Religion, supplies an especially clear articulation of a Buddhist vision of contemporary robotic technology. The present paper critically reviews Professor Mori’s account, focusing particularly upon the important chapter of his book titled “The Buddha-nature in the Robot.” Beyond the objective of helping to improve understanding of HRI in a broad multicultural context, this review aims also to identify philosophical/theological issues raised by Mori’s views that appear to hold practical implications for social acceptance of the subject technology.

Why the Testamentary Doctrine of Undue Influence Should Be Abolished

Abstract: Many scholars have criticized the doctrine of undue influence in wills, but none so far has called for its abolition. This call is long overdue. Three objections to the doctrine of undue influence -- historical, doctrinal, and psychological – warrant its abandonment. As a matter of history, courts have shifted the doctrine from the realm of chancery to that of law, in the process unintentionally promoting its distortion and misuse. As a matter of doctrine, "undue influence" fails to meet any standard of clarity, fairness, or predictability that a legal doctrine should satisfy. Finally, as a matter of psychology, undue influence relies on false notions of selfhood and autonomy. These three ways in which the doctrine does not fit the situations to which courts have applied it – the distortions resulting from its transposition from equity to law, the lack of fairness or doctrinal clarity attending its use, and the shaky and questionable psychological foundations on which it rests – have effects that do violence to the goals for which the doctrine supposedly was developed. Rather than protecting testamentary freedom, in reality it is a means to keep inheritance within families, or at least within relationships fitting preconceived social norms. Beyond its failures as a legal doctrine, undue influence also fails to achieve the policy goals often cited to justify its continued existence – mostly protecting the elderly from exploitation. Attempts to soften the effects of the doctrine, such as the Restatement’s inclusion of bequests to unmarried partners and voluntary caregivers among those not presumed to be the result of undue influence, fail to redress the doctrine’s harms.

American and Canadian therapists' perspectives of age and cognitive skills for paediatric power mobility: a qualitative study.

Abstract: Purpose: To explore the views of paediatric occupational therapists and physical therapists in Canada and the USA related to (1) the rationale for the age at which power mobility is considered for children and (2) the cognitive skills considered when trialling power mobility.Materials and methods: This study was part of a larger web-based survey study and analyzed responses to two open-ended survey questions: one related to age and one related to cognitive skills. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.Results: Analysis revealed four unique themes in the question related to age: (1) 'Power Mobility Should be Introduced at a Specific Age or Stage'; (2) 'Child Requirements'; (3) 'Developmental Impact of All Forms of Independent Mobility'; and (4) 'Benefits of Power Mobility'. In the question concerning cognitive skills, two unique themes were identified: 'Cognitive Skill Requirements?' and 'Non-Cognitive Requirements'. Two additional themes were identified in both questions: ('Non-child Requirements' and 'Power Mobility Trials, Use, and Options Are Dependent on Age and Goal').Conclusions: Data indicate wide variability in respondents' views related to the provision of power mobility. Additional research is needed to explore both therapists' reasoning regarding power mobility use for children and how to best facilitate knowledge translation in this area.Implications for RehabilitationWide variability exists related to the provision of power mobility for children.Children's age or stage in life influences therapists' consideration of power mobility.Many respondents considered cognitive skills when trialling power mobility but some did not.