Thesis (MA (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis consists of two essays, each focussing on a current topic in aesthetics in the tradition of analytic philosophy. First paper (On depiction) Given broad consensus that resemblance theories do not do well at explaining depiction, two alternative approaches have dominated the literature in recent decades: (1) Perceptual accounts try to ground depiction in the phenomenology of our pictorial experiences; (2) Structural accounts understand pictures as symbols in pictorial symbol systems. I follow Dominic Lopes in granting that the two approaches, often interpreted as each other’s rivals, both have merit and are successful in answering divergent questions about depiction. After taking stock of the most influential theories from both approaches, I turn to John Kulvicki’s recent work. He has made surprising progress as a proponent of the structural approach. His attempt to define depiction in structural terms is groundbreaking and, for the most part, successful. The paper measures some of his suggestions on picture structure and perception against the well-established “twofoldness”-thesis of the perceptual theorist on depiction, Richard Wollheim. Wollheim’s theory is defended and suggestions made to adapt Kulvicki’s theory accordingly. Second paper (On expression) Since Frank Sibley’s early papers in the mid-twentieth century, analytic aesthetics has broadened its field of inquiry to extend past the traditional focus on judgements of beauty or aesthetic merit, to peripheral terms, concepts, properties and judgements (e.g. of grace, elegance, garishness, daintiness, dumpiness, etc.). Nick Zangwill gives a traditionalist report of what binds the new, broad and heterogeneous category of the aesthetic together. He argues that purely evaluative aesthetic judgements of beauty or ugliness (i.e. “verdicts”) are fundamental. All other aesthetic judgements derive their evaluative aesthetic nature from them. In this essay it is argued that Zangwill’s defence of beauty’s supremacy in the category of the aesthetic, does not do justice to ostensible instances of non-evaluative judgements that ascribe expressive properties to artworks. Nelson Goodman’s cognitivist theory of expression in art is used as a foil for Zangwill’s claims. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bestaan uit twee essays, elk oor ’n aktuele onderwerp in estetika in die tradisie van die analitiese filosofie. Eerste essay (Oor uitbeelding, oftewel “piktoriale representasie”) Gegewe ’n algemene konsensus dat ooreenkoms-teorieë nie slaag daarin om uitbeelding (“depiction”) te verklaar nie, is daar twee alternatiewe benaderings wat die onlangse literatuur oor die onderwerp oorheers: (1) die perseptuele benadering probeer uitbeelding begrond in die fenomenologie van ons piktoriale ervaringe; (2) die strukturele benadering verstaan beelde as simbole in piktoriale simboolsisteme. In navolging van Dominic Lopes neem ek aan dat dié twee benaderings, wat normaalweg as mekaar se opponente beskou word, altwee meriete dra en onderskeidelik sukses behaal in die beantwoording van heel uiteenlopende vrae oor die aard van uitbeelding. Na ’n bestekopname van die mees invloedryke teorieë onder beide benaderings, word John Kulvicki se onlangse werk oorweeg. Hy maak verrassende vooruitgang as ondersteuner van die strukturele benadering. Sy poging om uitbeelding in strukturele terme te definiëer is revolusionêr en bied stof vir nadenke. In hierdie essay word sommige van sy voorstelle oor beeld-struktuur en -waarneming gemeet aan die gevestigde “twofoldness”-tesis van Richard Wollheim. Wollheim se perseptuele teorie word verdedig en ’n voorstelle word gemaak om Kulvicki se teorie daarvolgens aan te pas. Tweede essay (Oor uitdrukking) Sedert Frank Sibley se vroeë essays in die middel van die twintigste eeu het die analitiese estetika sy visier verbreed om verby die tradisionele fokus op oordele van skoonheid en estetiese waarde te kyk, na perifere terme, begrippe, eienskappe en oordele (van bv. grasie, delikaatheid, balans, strakheid, elegansie, ens., ens.). Nick Zangwill gee ’n tradisionalistiese verslag van wat die nuwe, breë en heterogene kategorie van die estetiese saambind. Hy argumenteer dat suiwer evaluerende oordele van skoonheid fundamenteel bly. Alle ander estetiese oordele se estetiese aard word daarvan afgelei. In hierdie essay argumenteer ek dat Zangwill se verdediging van skoonheid (of estetiese waarde) as fundamenteel tot die kategorie van die estetiese, nie laat reg geskied aan aantoonbare gevalle van nie-evaluerende oordele, naamlik dié wat ekspressiewe eienskappe aan kunswerke toeskryf, nie. Nelson Goodman se kognitiewe teorie van van uitdrukking in kuns word gebruik as teenhanger en wegspringplek vir kritiek op Zangwill se aansprake.

This dissertation contributes to the literature on resiliency and character strengths. College students (N = 223) were administered questionnaires to determine the hassles they experienced in the last month, as well as their levels of life satisfaction, resiliency, and the four character strengths of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Humility/Modesty, and Love. Reponses to the Ego Resiliency Scale were used to divide students into the following three groups: resilient, moderate-resilient, and low-resilient. Self-reported levels of life satisfaction, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Humility/Modesty, and Love were compared across the three groups to determine whether they were significantly related to resiliency. The results indicate that Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, and Humility/Modesty had a significant relationship with resiliency, but that Love did not. Resilient students' levels of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence as well as Gratitude were significantly higher than those of low-resilient students. However, resilient students' levels of Humility/Modesty were significantly lower than those of low-resilient students. Although Love was not significantly related to resiliency, the levels of Love for resilient students were relatively higher than those of low-resilient students. Life satisfaction also was significantly related to resiliency. Resilient students' levels of life satisfaction were significantly higher than those of low-resilient students. Gratitude and Love predicted students' levels of life satisfaction. Therefore, Gratitude seems to be the essential character strength related to both resiliency and life satisfaction among college students.

This thesis is based on my Make-Up Photography Project inspired by the interview of Thai sex workers about their dreams. Each woman’s dream was interpreted and translated into make up design before painted on the models, five Scripps college students, who happened to share similar passion and personality. All models were photographed individually in a regular portraiture style with their make up. The images were then edited in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, which incorporated the interview Thai Sex worker’s translated interview and the model’s response to the collaboration together in five complete 32.75 by 22 inches photographs.

L’étude porte sur la question de la beauté dans plusieurs romans du début du XIIIe siècle : le Perlesvaus, le Lancelot propre, la Queste del Saint Graal, le Bel Inconnu de Renaud de Beaujeu, Meraugis de Portlesguez de Raoul de Houdenc, le Roman de la Rose de Guillaume de Lorris. Il s’agit de déterminer si la représentation du beau ressortit à une conception unifiée. L’enquête associe à l’examen du corpus plusieurs autres textes : des œuvres vernaculaires du XIIe siècle, les arts poétiques du Moyen Âge et le discours théologique. Il ressort que, sans être pour autant l’équivalent roman de la pulchritudo, la « beauté romanesque » est à la fois une res, dotée de caractéristiques sensibles relativement stables, et un signum, ouvert sur un aliud aliquid. / The object of this study is the question of beauty in a selection of early thirteenth century romances: Perlesvaus, the prose Lancelot, La Queste del Saint Graal, Le Bel Inconnu by Renaud de Beaujeu, Meraugis de Portlesguez by Raoul de Houdenc, Le Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris. In an effort to determine whether the representation of beauty is based on a unified concept, the investigation associates the aforementioned romances with various other texts: vernacular works from the twelfth century, medieval "artes poeticae" and theological discourse. It appears that "romance beauty", although not a strict vernacular equivalent of the latin concept of pulchritudo, is both a res, with relatively stable characteristics, and a signum, which points to an aliud aliquid.

The group of 7 paper objects, the whole cluster measures about 180 x 100 x 100cm. Hang down from the ceiling. Different kinds of paper, colled, folded, crumpled, paper-mashe. Central composition (6 small objects touching gently the big one), on the border more realistic, in the centre more imaginary. The realistic forms I used - clover, cauliflower, rotten pear. Focus on colours, fragility of plants and material. Garden as a metaphore of human body. Centre - heart - tree. Love Entering into the installation.

One hundred and fifty undergraduate students at a Southwestern university rated the attractiveness of the face, body and full, face and body of 5 male and 5 female stimuli. The subjects also rated the full, face and body stimuli on 6 social and relationship variables. These ratings were used to determine the relative influence of facial attractiveness versus body attractiveness on overall assessments of attractiveness and social and relationship variables. Both facial and body attractiveness were predictive of all the overall assessments, but face was a more powerful predictor. A second analysis related perceived similarity of attractiveness and liking. Perceived similarity of attractiveness was not a significant factor in how much the subjects indicated they liked the stimuli.

This thesis explores how late-Ming writers interpreted the expression “beauty is ill-fated” (hongyan boming) and how male and female writers constructed and accepted the image of the ephemeral beauty (hongyan) differently. I argue that late-Ming male literati destigmatized and immortalized hongyan, but their interpretations of hongyan reinforced male fantasies about women, and served the status quo of the patriarchal family structure as well as the established literary conventions of the time. Female writers, conversely, often rejected the image and idea of hongyan and even managed to assert female subjectivity in order to reinterpret the male-constructed hongyan. However, ultimately, female writers of the period could not escape from the containment of these patriarchal literary conventions. Even for those female writers who have preserved their voices in their writings, women’s self-expressions have always been undergoing a seemingly infinite process of reinterpretations and reconstructions by male literati.

Thesis advisor: Marina B. McCoy / This dissertation investigates the role that eros in general, and philosophical eros in particular, plays in the search for the eidos of the beautiful in Plato’s Hippias Major. It defends the claim that noesis of the eidos of the beautiful can only be accomplished within the life of philosophical eros, that is, within the life of eros which is directed toward the good. As such this dissertation aims both to provide an interpretive key to the Hippias Major, allowing us to read the dialogue in a rich and novel way, and also to make the claim that the Hippias Major presents us with a picture of the interrelation between eros, philosophy, and beauty, and about how these three elements manifest themselves in human life. As such, some continuities and parallels can be found between it and the other two dialogues which deal most explicitly with beauty and eros, the Phaedrus and Symposium. The first five chapters interpret a particular section of the Hippias Major according to role the eros plays within it, attempting to show that eros, both in general and in its unique manifestation as philosophical eros, is a crucial mediating term for any comprehensive understanding of any section of the dialogue, and therefore of the dialogue as a whole. In each of these five chapters, I will articulate the role that eros plays within the search for obtaining a noetic glance at the eidos of the beautiful. The first chapter demonstrates how Socrates’s philosophical eros gives birth to the question about the beautiful itself within the context of a discussion about sophistry and money. The second chapter shows how Socrates’s philosophical engagement with Hippias’s definitions of the eidos of the beautiful generates a dialectic of ascent, allowing Hippias to expand his understanding of what counts as beautiful in a trajectory that mirrors Diotima’s ascent in the Symposium. The third chapter articulates the erotic significance of Socrates’s claim that the eidos of the beautiful inheres in being and not appearances. The fourth chapter gauges the erotic significance of Socrates’s and Hippias’s claim that the beautiful is good, and the good beautiful. The fifth chapter interprets the comic and tragic aspects of the dialogue in terms of philosophical eros, its rejection and fulfillment. The sixth chapter will take stock of the overall interpretation of the Hippias Major developed in the first five chapters, and will present the overarching view about the relationship between the contemplation of beauty, on the one hand, and desire for possession of beauty and moral concern, on the other, which one can glean from the character and action of Socrates in Hippias Major. It will bring this view into a conversation with the notion of “liking devoid of interest” which is found in Kant’s Critique of Judgment. The conclusion of this dissertation will underscore the principle claim, that the philosophical search for the eidos of the beautiful can neither be separated from the eros which beauty inspires in a human being, nor can it be accomplished without one’s eros benig directed toward the good, and that this philosophical search is marked by suffering and possible tragedy. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Cuklanz / There are strict rules and expectations that govern the world’s idea of femininity and beauty. What are the repercussions of selecting one type of beauty to be ideal on a global scale? After watching the pageant and reading previous scholars’ findings, I argue that the Miss America Pageant presents its participants as women to be admired while its practices objectify women’s bodies. Several myths dictate how contestants should behave and historically diversity has failed to break into the pageant. On a global scale, Miss America has inspired other international beauty pageants, causing countries to compete with one another for the most beautiful woman. Selecting one beauty often times is based purely on appearance, like body type or racial characteristics. The implications of one beauty means that all women, all over the world, feel compelled to meet the standards set by this one beauty, this winner. In turn, women who do not measure up feel inadequate and strive to change their appearances to meet the mold. This model also homogenizes the concept of beauty that previously was diverse and culturally based. Pageants, like Miss America, therefore encourage women to objectify themselves in order to meet an international beauty standard that is historically based on white or western appearances. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Communication Honors Program. / Discipline: Communication.

Standards of female beauty have long been a source of debate within Western society. Determining who dictates these standards of beauty and how these standards inform individual value seemingly become more and more determined by the individuals themselves, yet there remains a high value placed on white, thin and cisgender females. This standard, although increasingly challenged remains the default for beauty in our society and within our literary culture. This thesis works to expose two modern Young Adult texts, John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines and Laura Ruby’s Bone Gap, for the ways in which they continue to reinforce these standards of beauty in women. While presenting challenges to these stereotypes, the standards set out in these texts ultimately portray women as defined and controlled by men. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection