Slouching toward New Humanism.

In the contemporary era, novel social and cultural patterns have emerged, prompting the social sciences to engage in timely reflections on current phenomena and the very essence of humanity. These models have undergone significant transformations, so much so that New Humanism appears to be a viable prospect. It is upon this premise that all the observations put forth in this study are centered, operating under the assumption that the evolution of knowledge is a continuous process, marked by perpetual paths of research and reflection. It is well established that Humanism represents a recurring theme in our daily lives, with its premises inscribed on the walls of cities and subways. In the modern era, the concept of Humanism is liberated from its "classical" meanings. As such, it becomes crucial to consider New Humanism as a supplement for the soul, capable of invigorating spirituality, restoring energy, and instilling ethics rooted in solidarity, recognition, and mutual respect among individuals. This mission serves as a formidable catalyst, motivating and mobilizing the consciences and intelligence of individuals, particularly those in the Western world. Furthermore, this pressing need necessitates the adoption of conceptualization and analytical reconstruction pathways, which are functional in actualizing the perspective of New Humanism, establishing it as a proposition of contemporary culture. It is often implicit in widespread individualism, which tends to manifest exaggerated and exasperating tones of hyper-individualism. It is thus essential not to overlook the doctrine espoused by classical Humanism, which suggests that it is possible to be disenchanted and yet remain builders of utopias, and realists who can see new lands and infinite ideal worlds. Indeed, human beings can transcend existing barriers, using tradition as a viaticum for the future, as evidenced by numerous disciplinary fields.

Migrations and culture. Essential reflections on wandering human beings.

It is possible that our century and the one just past will be remembered in the future as the centuries of migration. Faced with the extent of migration today, social scientists have posed several questions, and in particular they have examined the causes of migration, the integration of immigrants into host countries, and the development of their cultural identity. The newcomers are almost always poorer than those who settled before them, and have different languages, physical appearance, customs, beliefs, and religious practices. The widespread perception is that of an upheaval of the social order. For some, it is the dawn of a new world, under the banner of métissage (or hybridization) and universal brotherhood; for most, it is the beginning of an invasion. Immigration is always a matter of borders: Who is "us"? Who is "them"? The host society has the power to define, classify, and construct the social category of immigrants. There are many differences within this category and obviously any strategic policy should be able to manage every specificity. Nevertheless, we need starting by focusing the more general ideal type of what is "otherness" and what it can be in the social representations in order to construct new conditions of encounter. In this scenario, urban spaces represent the stages on which the encounter with difference takes place. The space is never neutral and may affect, sometimes significantly, the conditions of that encounter. The physical form of the city is the result of widespread social representations of all phenomena, but it is also able to act on those same social representations by altering the processes that take shape within it. The urban dimension and the redesign of the urban space become increasingly key to shaping and managing social processes aimed at governing the transformation processes in a multi-ethnic sense of the European societies. Urban policy-makers can either wait for spontaneous processes of integration and virtuous composition of differences, or implement actions to manage differences, to prevent potential conflicts and start processes of active inclusion. In order to support the act of wandering within this second pattern of urban policies, moving from simple tolerance to a Habermasian process of dialogical exchange, at least two conditions are necessary: the existence of shared public spaces, and the quality of policies for regulating the use of urban public spaces.

Investigating the Buffering Effects of Greenery on the Adverse Emotional, Mental and Behavioral Health during the Pandemic Period.

In light of the adverse emotional, mental and behavioral outcomes caused by the pandemic period, this research analyzed the associations between emotional distress and poor health outcomes and the buffering effects of greenery on these outcomes. An online cross-sectional survey between June-November 2021 was distributed among 1314 young Italian adults. Bivariate associations and multivariate regression analyses were applied to the data. Findings showed that emotional distress was positively related to poor mental health outcomes and to some of the unhealthy behaviors. In addition, green pathways differently impacted on health: the indoor features confirmed buffering effects on adverse emotional and mental health responses, whereas the outdoor features played no salutogenic role. In conclusion, whereas the outbreak period of the pandemic has led to the rediscovering/reinforcement of the attachment to nature to cope with negative affective states, the successive waves characterized by selected limitations and new living rules of social adaptation may have brought about a reduced affinity toward nature. Target interventions in terms of biophilic design for indoor environmental sustainability are needed in order to increase the innate human-nature connection and thus to promote public health.