The article discusses War Primer 2 (2011), an art book by photographers Oliver Chanarin and Adam Broomberg, as a performative gesture of a new staging of Bertolt Brecht’s Kriegsfibel (1955). The analysis, following Achille Mbembe’s concept of necropolitics, applies the concept of necrophrasis (a specific practice of
ekphrasis at the time of contemporary extreme policies of death and their toxic visual presence). The essay supports a specific form of witnessing and testifying, which manifests itself in this necroecphrastic practice whereby history is actualized and contemporaries’ relation to the past becomes materialized. The artists’
interventions, based on a performative use of archives and the legacy of political terror and wartime violence, activate and actualize that which is the past or belonged to the latter.
Building on theories that position gratitude as a social and self-transcendent emotion, this research examined whether gratitude reduces people's desire for money across four preregistered studies (N = 3,125). Study 1 provided evidence that gratitude was negatively associated with money desire across three countries (the United Kingdom, Mexico and South Africa). Studies 2–4 provided experimental evidence that various gratitude manipulations consistently reduced money desire. Study 3 revealed two key psychological mechanisms: enhanced social connectedness and increased self-transcendence. Study 4 examined boundary conditions, finding that gratitude's effect on money desire was strongest among individuals with high levels of beliefs in money's symbolic meaning. These findings suggest that gratitude interventions may help reduce materialistic attitudes by addressing the fundamental psychological desire for money itself, operating through specific mechanisms that foster connection to others and transcendence of narrow self-interest.
Animal harm often results in lenient legal responses, with prosecutions primarily targeting offenses against companion animals, while cases involving farm animals remain significantly underreported. This study examined pet‐favoritism bias in moral judgments, highlighting how animal category can shape perceptions of cruelty. Participants (N = 569) evaluated sadistic harm toward either pet or farm animals by rating proposed prison sentences and moral condemnation. They also reported pet ownership, dietary habits, political orientation, religiosity, and beliefs about human superiority. The results confirmed petfavoritism, with harm to pets prompting greater moral condemnation and harsher punishment. Moderation analyses showed this bias was more pronounced among meat‐eaters, non–pet owners, and those who believed in human superiority. We discuss the mechanisms underlying more lenient judgments of animal harm.
The article presents an original monograph on press sources concerning Veit Stoss’s altarpiece from the 19th to the 21st century. The study is interdisciplinary, as it combines a significant historical source, namely the press, which has been an important resource for centuries, with the transmission of culture, religion, art, and language. It also falls within the scope of cultural heritage communication. The work addresses a gap in the research on the mediaticity of Veit Stoss’s altarpiece ‘as a unique object’ in the context of its four comprehensive conservation treatments. The book considers 250 press accounts from Kraków published between 1867 and 2022. The author’s scholarly approach, source analysis, the validity of the research questions, the results of the analysis, and the compiled literature on the subject were all evaluated.
As of December 2023, Poland has reported 6,590,705 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 119,886 deaths. The pandemic unfolded in multiple waves, with significant spikes in infections and deaths occurring during the autumn of 2020 and winter of 2021, as well as subsequent surges linked to the Delta and Omicron variants. Poland’s healthcare system, while relatively well-developed, experienced periods of significant strain, particularly during the peaks of infection when hospital capacities were overwhelmed and shortages of medical staff and equipment were reported. The government’s public health response evolved over time, initially focusing on lockdowns and restrictions, later transitioning to mass vaccination campaigns, with varying degrees of compliance and public support. The Covid-19 pandemic occurred in Poland at a time when the country was already experiencing concerns related to the rule of law and trends in governance. In response to the pandemic, the Government opted not to declare a constitutional state of emergency (stan nadzwyczajny), but instead chose to manage the situation through existing legal frameworks, supplemented by new legislation. Observers have noted that the pandemic revealed significant challenges in state preparedness, with some laws reportedly being passed hastily and questions raised about the Government’s use of extraordinary powers. Critics have argued that certain rights and freedoms were restricted during the pandemic, at times exceeding the limits set by law, and that some policies, particularly those affecting women’s rights, led to significant societal debate. Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding the lack of accountability for potential misuse of public funds, as well as the transparency and consistency of certain policies. Public opinion was also influenced by populist sentiments, including the anti-vaccination movement.
