Καιρός (Kairos)

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https://doi.uni-plovdiv.bg/handle/store/198
ISSN: 2534-8442

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Browsing Καιρός (Kairos) by Author "Kolev, Ivan"

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    Beauty enhancement: boundaries and vulnerability
    (Plovdiv University Press, 2024-09-01) Kolev, Ivan
    The text reveals problematic perspectives related to the quest for the amplification of human beauty. Statistics are briefly presented showing the rise of cosmetic procedures, plastic and aesthetic surgery. The need to recognize and delineate healthy boundaries of appearance enhancement is emphasized. It is highlighted that the awareness of beauty service users about risks and vulnerabilities is not at a satisfactory level. The text includes studies and analyses by experts and researchers in various fields: medicine, ethics, sociology, psychology and philosophy. Vulnerabilities arising from the increased interest in beauty enhancement include risks to physical and mental health, a tendency towards low self-esteem and a lack of sufficient love for one's own body, the danger of becoming addicted to beauty enhancement through various methods and procedures, and susceptibility to external influences, including the socio-cultural environment and the digital world. The main contribution of the text is that it provides an accurate overview of the vulnerabilities associated with beauty enhancement, warns of the need to set healthy boundaries to beautification, and suggests directions for future research on the chosen issue.
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    Between inertia, stagnation, and transition. A multidisciplinary analysis of key social and environmental challenges and structural barriers in the “Maritsa East” complex
    (Plovdiv University Press, 2026-08-02) Kolev, Ivan
    This paper presents a multidisciplinary analysis of energy transformation, focusing on the structural dependence on coal in the Maritsa Iztok complex. Moving beyond narrow technical paradigms, the framework integrates key concepts from the social sciences and Science and Technology Studies, including “carbon lock-in” (Unruh, 2000), the “risk society” and “organized irresponsibility” (Beck, 1995, 2013), power dynamics in sustainability transitions (Avelino, 2017), the temporality of energy transitions (Sovacool, 2016), the energy justice framework (Jenkins et al., 2016), and the concept of technical democracy (Callon et al., 2009). Drawing on this theoretical synthesis, the paper argues that energy systems are deeply embedded within complex socio-political structures. Carbon lock-in is conceptualized as a co-evolutionary process that reinforces fossil fuel dependence, while institutional frameworks contribute to the diffusion of responsibility for environmental risks. Ultimately, the analysis emphasizes that the energy transition represents a structural conflict between institutional inertia, entrenched networks of influence, and increasingly urgent societal demands for environmental justice and accountability.