Several commentators make the claim that Augustine is not a systematic thinker. The purpose of this thesis is to refute that claim in one specific area of Augustine's thought, the metaphysical foundations underlying his solutions to the problem of evil. Through an exegetical examination of various works in which Augustine writes on evil, I show that his solutions for both natural and moral evil rely on a coherent metaphysical system, conceived of and expounded upon within a Platonically influenced Christian context.

The purpose of this study is to examine concepts of freedom and evil, and to clarify their relation in terms of Kant&rsquo / s moral philosophy. In this study, I firstly examine Kant&rsquo / s understanding of freedom and the problems that this understanding leads to. I also discuss how the concept of freedom can be reconciled with the concept of evil expressed in the form of &ldquo / propensity to evil&rdquo / . Additionally, I attempt to show the significance of the notion of evil for Kant&rsquo / s moral theory. Evil is one of the most criticized concepts of Kant&rsquo / s philosophy and it is considered as inconsistent with his earlier thoughts by his contemporaries. Kant claims that the &ldquo / propensity to evil&rdquo / is universal to all of human race, but it does not mean that human beings are actually evil. They become good or evil with their free will (Willk&uuml / r). In this study, I propose that Kant&rsquo / s understanding of evil is a concept that helps to conceive one&rsquo / s own freedom in terms of Kant&rsquo / s morality. I also try to show that in spite of its similarities with the Christian doctrine of &ldquo / original sin&rdquo / , Kant&rsquo / s conception of evil should not be considered as a religious issue / it is a matter of freedom as the extension of his moral theory and his earlier thoughts. Kant&rsquo / s earlier works do not seem to be sufficient for comprehending his moral thoughts. Therefore, it can be proposed that with the introduction of the concept of evil in the Religion within the Limits of Reason, the missing part of Kant&rsquo / s moral theory is completed.

This dissertation aims to study three very important works in English children&rsquo / s fiction: C. S. Lewis&rsquo / s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Philip Pullman&rsquo / s The Subtle Knife, the second book of his trilogy His Dark Materials, and J. K. Rowling&rsquo / s Harry Potter and the Philosopher&rsquo / s Stone. The novels will be analyzed in terms of their approaches toward the conventions of fairy tale, fantasy and romance / to this end, the novels are to be evaluated in relation to their concept of chronotope, and the quest of good versus evil. While the secondary world or multiple worlds presented are going to be analyzed in terms of their perception of time and space along with the presentation of the supernatural elements, the characters will be evaluated in terms of the common classification good versus evil. The main argument of this study concentrates on the gradual estrangement from the crystal clear distinctions of the fairy tale genre to a more shadowy, pessimistic, and ambivalent vision of the fantastic in the children&rsquo / s literature.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-132).

Augustine, the fourth-century Christian philosopher, is perhaps best-known for his spiritual autobiography Confessions. Two aspects of the problem of evil are arguably critical for comprehending his life in Books 1 through 9 of the work. His search for the nature and origin of evil in the various philosophies that he encounters (the intellectual aspect) and his struggles with his own weaknesses (the experiential aspect) are windows for understanding the actual dynamics of his sojourn. I defend the idea above by providing a fuller examination of the key role that both aspects play in his spiritual journey. Examining relevant events from Augustine's life chronologically, I analyze his philosophical wanderings from his encounter with Cicero's work Hortensius through his eventual disillusionment with the Manichaean religion, and finally, his move in the direction of Christian teachings with the help of Neo-Platonism. Along the way his philosophical questions (the intellectual aspect) and his struggles with his own depravity (the experiential aspect) have an effect on each other until his ultimate move toward Christianity resolves both problems of evil.

In mid twentieth century Britain, after the experience of total war, evil was not an abstract concept but a palpable reality. How was evil understood, and how did this understanding influence notions of English national identity? This thesis examines the lives and works of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J.R.R. Tolkien, members of the British literary club Inklings. It probes representations of evil, Englishness, gender and the erotic in their fiction and shows specifically how their science fiction, horror, and fantasy was a response to the moral and human devastation of two world wars. The thesis suggests that the Inkling’s middle brow literature opens a window on a wider sense of uncertainty and longing about Englishness in the eve of decolonization and decline.

Краткое описание. В данной работе будут рассмотрены знаки и коды пара��игмы страдания в кинотексте по методу семиотической коммуникации, акцентирующей понимание передачи информации как конструкцию кодов, знаков и культуры, которые создают свои з��ачения. Конотация и денотация значений зависит от эмоционально-культурных ценностей. Взаимодействуя друг с другом, знаки создают кодовое сообщение на вербальном и невербальном уровне. Слова и визуальные символы занимают важное место в коммуникативном процессе при передаче и декодации, как утверждает Д. Фишке (J. Fiske (13, 64)). Таким образом, сравнивая два произведения, мы рссматриваем философию страдания в библейском дискурсе в романе М. Булгакова «Мастер и Маргарита» и в художественном фильме Мела Гибсона «Страсти Христовы». В ходе исследования нами было установлено, что есть общего и противоположного между ними и их ближайшими источниками: Обоим произведениям характерен жанр драмы, мистерии. В романе «Мастер и Маргарита» – это мистерия-буфф с элементами языческих ритуалов. В художественном фильме «Страсти Христовы» - это христианская мистерия с элементами противопоставления гротеска кощунства в изображении демонической силы зла. Оба произведения несут некую общность не только в жанровой структуре в области свободы функционирования, но и в области органичного наложения и своеобразного сложного сочетания текста и интертекста в сюжетных элементах. Финалы мистерий ставят как... [полный текст, см. далее] / SANTRAUKA Kančios filosofija – ši tėma tiesiogiai susijusi su blogio ir gėrio, melo ir tiesos, tamsos ir šviesos atsiradimu. Žmonijos kančios tema domino daugelį filosofų per amžius. Šis klausimas plačiai nagrinėjamas Šventajame Rašte ir turi keletą aspektų. Mūsų darbas analizuoja biblinio diskurso sklaidą, kančios filosofijos rakurse M.Bulgakovos romane „Meistras ir Margarita“ ir Melo Gibsono meniniame filme „Kristaus kančia“. Analizuojant, buvo nustatyta, kad abiems kūriniams būdingas misterijos žanras. Romane tai pagoniška misterija-buf, o filme – krikščioniška misterija, abu su grotesko elementais. Pasireiškia siaubo, juodo humoro ir sarkazmo susipynimas. Visi pagrindiniai herojai paženklinti kančios antspaudu. Romane gėrio ir blogio kova išsivysto fantasmagoriškame fone. Ji priešpastatoma kančios sakrališkumui meniniame filme. Mitologinio, folklorinio ir apokrifinio plano ryškėjimas būdingas abiems kūriniams. Darbe nagrinėjamas kančios aspektas neverbalinės komunikacijos rakurse, kino teksto verbalumas, ikonografiškumas, sakrališkumas. Darbo eigoje buvo nustatyta, kad M.Bulgakovos romane biblinio diskurso sklaida vystosi kaltės ir bausmės aspektu velnio, žmogaus ir Dievo santykiuose. Atskleidžiama pragaro ir skaistyklos tipologija. Būdingas lyginamasis aspektas su Getes „Fausto“ poema, kuri atskleidžia pagrindinių herojų kančios individualumą, o taip pat... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Summary The issue of the philosophy of pain is connected with existence of good and evil, truth and lie, light and darkness. Human pain was the matter of interest for many philisophers all through the human history. This issue is deeply analysed in the Bible and has got some of its aspects. In this research the problem of pain is analysed through the dispersion of biblical discourse in M. Bulgakov's novel „Master and Margarita“ and M. Gibson's movie „Tha Passion of Christ“. All main characters in above mentioned pieces of art have got a sign of pain. In the novel the battle of evil and good develops in fantasmagoric background. In the film the pain has got it sacralic dimension. Both works obtain mythological, folklore and apocalypsis features. During this research it was defined that the dispersion of biblical discourse in the M. Bulgakov's novel develops through the aspect of guilt and fear in the relationships of the devil, man and God. The dispersion of biblical discourse in the M. Gibson's film is seen through the aspects of inocent sacrifice. Jesus Christ's sacrifice is a perfect example of sacralic act of pain. It is a symbol of the new convenant between God and man. In this research different kinds of analysis are used: sociological, communicative, analitical, psychological, hermeneutic, theological, comparative and descriptive.

Rousseau's work often seems contradictory, but the author himself insists that his works comprise a consistent system based on the principle that man is naturally good. In order that individuals might live up to this natural goodness in society, Rousseau advocates a division of labour between general and particular aspects of reason. This division is exemplified in the different roles that Rousseau assigns to the sovereign and the government in the political sphere, and men and women in the domestic sphere. The difficulties faced by man in the absence of these divisions of labour are illustrated in Rousseau's autobiographical writings. When his various works are examined in light of the principle of man's natural goodness, the apparent contradictions between democratic and authoritarian aspects of his thought and between the roles his ascribes to men and women are resolved.

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This thesis examines the positive role of evil in select Old English Poetry, namely The Junius Book, "Guthlac", "Vainglory", "The Whale", "Juliana", "Judith" and "Beowulf". Using a background of Augustan and Boethian thought, each adversarial character is discussed with regard to role and imagery, but specifically in relationship to the protagonist. Evil plays a surprisingly positive role when it offers the protagonist the opportunity to defeat it. The protagonists' honour at the poem's conclusion is necessarily defined by the extent of resisting the antagonists. The hero must fight evil on two levels: the temporal in humans and the metaphysical in Satan. The thesis examines the various levels of victory and indeed failure they achieve, and concludes that of all the heroes only Juliana is completely successful. Although evil itself cannot be defined as "good", this thesis discovers that in its relationship with the human hero, it can indeed give rise to goodness.