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The purpose of this essay is to read Philebus based on three central themes – The Soul dialectic, the esoteric elements and some ethical problems, as well as to seek a comprehensive interpretation, rather than investigating, analyzing and interpreting individual concepts. Some questions that the essay aims to follow up are: 1) how can the dialogue on desire and rational knowledge highlighting Plato's ideas about the good life? 2) What are Plato’s real messages in the exposition of the good life? 3) Why are ethical questions related to esoteric elements of Plato's dialogues, and in general? The method is a reading between the lines; a hermeneutic interpretation process. Some patterns and contradictions were discovered during the reading, which shows an overall seemingly contradiction between ethics and metaphysics, but which with the the perspective of the dialectics be possible to reconcile. The final interpretation focuses on three concepts from Plato's own ranking of the good; beauty, proportion and truth. Together they constitute the good life in which pain plays an important role. Furthermore, it is possible to reach in Philebus about the good life, and the messages that one should always be true to oneself and to live modestly and always weigh reason to desire and choose wisdom. The ethical problems are both hidden in the shadows and elusive in Plato's dialogues, which can be a result of caution, but also a fear of losing oneself. Plato´s thinking is consistently dialectic, which is in this essay best illustrated by the allegory of the Cave.

Mild psychological effects, such as sleep-deprivation, on an oppressed and tortured human being can be characterized as “normal”. However, Shame by Salman Rushdie uses magical realist style to describe the psychological effects of shame in a patriarchal society which is based on capitalistic class values. This essay will focus on the Marxist feminist reading of the novel with a psychoanalytical perspective which is going to help analyse the effects of the oppressed female characters, Bilquis Hyder, Sufiya Zinobia and Rani Harappa.  The essay focuses on different incidents in the lives of these characters with the help of critics such as Aijaz Ahmad and Timothy Brennan. Both have written critically about Rushdie. This essay will discuss the different aspects of Marxism, feminism as well as psychoanalysis and connecting them to the novel, which would give the answers as to what shame can do to a person’s psyche. The Beauty and the Beast fairy-tale gets a different perception in this story, as Sufiya Zinobia is both the characters in one.

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(Uncorrected OCR) Abstract of thesis entitled Beauty Myth in Hong Kong submitted by Lai Hoi Van for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in February 2000 After the first and second waves of feminism, women in Western societies have the right to vote and work in public. However, in late capitalism, many scholars proclaim images of female beauty are used as a new political weapon against women's advancement. This weapon is the beauty myth. The general popularity of feminine culture of beauty and the abundance of related beauty consumption can be observed in Hong Kong. In order to find out how the beauty myth is operating in Hong Kong and whether women are the victims being hindered from social advancement because of the beauty myth, the case of Hong Kong is investigated. There are two parts of the research. The first part makes use of secondary and primary data on the positions of women in Hong Kong to construct the dominant standard of beauty. It is found that the positions of women in Hong Kong are not as advanced as women in Western developed countries in terms of work, education and family. In addition, the existence of a dominant standard of beauty can also be found in Hong Kong from analysis of beauty parlors, magazines and beauty guidebook contents. The second part of the research is an ethnography of 13 respondents who are supposed to be the victims of the beauty myth. It is discovered that they generally accept the dominant standard of beauty but negotiations and personal politics are detected in their daily encounters with the myth. They are not "cultural dopes" but express certain degrees of agency. They actively make choices under the circumstances not of their own making. In their beauty practices, they find the specific women's community and knowledge, in which pleasure is intertwined. Combining the macroscopic and the microscopic parts of research, women's pursuits of beauty should not be narrowed down to a totalitarian statement. For the advancement of women in Hong Kong, the present forms of beauty need not be abandoned. More perspectives and options in terms of beauty and other aspects of life such as work and education, have to be provided for women, as well as for men. The positions of women in education, work and family can only be advanced with the general political awareness of women and the struggle to change the structure. To advance the structure, the present ideologies of femininity and masculinity based on dualism have to be changed. Education, mass media and the present feminine communities of beauty can be viewed as the sites promoting a new political awareness. / abstract / toc / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Während Gebäude des letzten Jahrhunderts dem Vitruvianischen Dreieck „Firmitas“ (Standfestigkeit), „Utilitas“ (Zweckmäßigkeit) sowie „Venustas“ (Anmut oder Schönheit) noch wie selbstverständlich entsprachen, tritt bei moderner Wohnbebauung das letztgenannte Prinzip der Schönheit zu oft zugunsten des Zwecks in den Hintergrund. Viele Baugesellschaften sind auf hohe Baulandpreise sowie die sich daraus ergebende Notwendigkeit der maximalen Ausnutzung des Grundstücks bei gleichzeitig minimalen Investitionen in das Gebäude fixiert. Angesichts der fundamentalen ökonomischen wie auch sozialen Bedeutung des Erscheinungsbildes von Wohnquartieren ist es das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, den zwischen den beiden Faktoren „Schönheit des Wohnquartiers“ und „Wert der sich darin befindlichen Immobilien“ bestehenden Zusammenhang zu beleuchten. Dies geschieht im Rahmen theoretischer Ausführungen zum Schönheitsideal von Wohnquartieren, den für Anbieter bestehenden Anreiz, selbiges zu realisieren sowie die in Deutschland folglich typischerweise vorzufindenden Gebäudebestände. Ergänzt wird dieser theoretische durch einen empirischen Teil. In diesem kann der Nachweis über das Vorhandensein eines signifikant positiven Zusammenhangs zwischen der Schönheit des Wohnquartiers sowie sowohl der Einzugs- als auch der Zahlungsbereitschaft der Nachfrager für die sich darin befindlichen Gebäude geführt werden. Mittels der vorliegenden Arbeit kann somit belegt werden, dass sich das Maß an Befriedigung ästhetischer Bedürfnisse der Allgemeinheit in ökonomisch wirksamen Entscheidungen der Nachfrager niederschlägt. / While buildings oft he last century corresponded to the Vitruvian triangle „Firmitas“ (stability), „Utilitas“ (appropriateness) as well as „Venustas“ (grace or beauty) still as of course, the latter principle of the beauty steps with modern living building too often in favour oft the purpose in the background. Many building companies are fixed on high building land prices as well as the necessity arising from it of the maximum utilization oft he property with at the same moment minimal investments in the building. In view of the fundamental economic as well as social importance of the appearance of living accomodations it ist he aim oft he present work to identify eventual correlations between the two factors „beauty oft he living accomodation“ and „value of the real estate“.

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This thesis is a study of magazine advertisements for beauty products in Canada between 1901 and 1941. It looks at the use of cosmetics and the growth of advertising in the context of the development of North American consumer culture, highlighting the role of gender in that culture. The period studied is divided in two by the mid-1920s to reflect changes in advertisers' views of consumers--from rational decision-makers to irrational creatures driven by their emotions--and in ideals of feminine beauty, as the use of cosmetics became an essential part of the ideal perpetuated by advertising. The thesis attempts to show the link between business history and cultural history by demonstrating how marketing professionals co-opted cultural trends in order to create effective advertising, and how traditional relationships and values were modified by the purchase and use of mass-marketed goods.