The religious significance of Emmet Fox (1886-1951), a pioneer in the New Thought movement, is the focus of this study. The relevance of Fox's religious thought will be determined in reference to and in the context of contemporary theorist Ken Wilber's theoretical framework of integral hermeneutics. On the basis of Fox's primary writings, biographical information, the ideas and philosophy of modern New Thought scholars and Wilber's literature, Fox's religious thought was interpreted and evaluated. Aspects of Fox's belief, such as creative mind, scientific prayer, meditation and healing, concepts such as God, Jesus Christ, death, reincarnation, karma and end times, as well as his method of biblical exegesis are discussed. It becomes apparent that Emmet Fox, preacher and teacher, had never intended to provide a scientific or academic structural doctrine in which to deliver his teaching. His non-conformist, simple, yet well thought-through beliefs, which include esoteric, eastern and universal truths, focused on the fundamental truths that are necessary for humanity's evolutionary development. This approach made Fox's teaching valuable to his audience of the time, a changing American consciousness, as well as appropriate to a transformational South Africa, where it is relevant in bridging the various cultures, languages, and religious beliefs within a continuously changing spiritually minded population, and most of all, beneficial to every person's inner spiritual journey towards ultimate enlightenment. Fox's underlying religious belief is that `the thought is the thing' and this endorses the whole of the New Thought teaching, which states that `whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve' or `be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind'. Probably the most remarkable feature of his religious thinking is his popular allegorical interpretation of the Bible, which he interprets spiritually. It is apparent that there is an affinity between the religious thought of Emmet Fox and that of Wilber. Although the intent of this study is not to compare these scholars, it is interesting and valuable to Fox's interpretation that they advocate a similar underlying belief in the holistic Kosmos and the importance of having an integral vision. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Much has been researched and written on the concept of intelligence in the last century and while much of it has been applied in educational settings and commercial organisations, little has been investigated and applied within a sports context. Early research in the 1970s identified sport intelligence as comprising primarily of reaction time and recall and it was only in 2002, some 30 years later, that it again appeared in the literature with sport intelligence being considered a psychological characteristic of Olympic champions. The research of Gould, Diffenbach and Moffet (2002) into sport intelligence hypothesised that sport intelligence included having “the ability to analyse, being innovative, being a student of the sport, making good decisions, understanding the nature of elite sport, and being a quick learner” (p. 5). Later research by Blue (2009) proposed a comprehensive model of sport intelligence as it applied to golf wherein he posited that sport intelligence – albeit in a golfing context – comprised a ‘competition’ and ‘developmental’ intelligence. Other than the thematic assessment of Gould et al. (2002) and the golf-specific study of Blue (2009) no literature, data or research was available internationally, on the African continent nor in South Africa. The researcher responded to the call for further research and decided to complete a qualitative, exploratory study in South Africa. The research commenced by covering what was available on sport intelligence literature and to build on it by reviewing and considering general intelligence theories. Both orthodox and unorthodox approaches were considered and the review suggested that sport intelligence would conceptually and theoretically consist of a number of dimensions and constructs including a series of cognitive processes like memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision making and other rational processes. The third source of literature was a review of sport psychology and it emphasised the importance and significance of emotional, motivational and other psychological factors in addition to the influences of personality. The literature review led to the researcher identifying 14 hypotheses which were explored with 15 credible sport participants, whereafter a thorough content analysis of the 14 hypotheses was performed. 13 of the 14 initial hypotheses were accepted with one included as a theme within another. The thematic assessment resulted in the identification and development of a systems model of sport intelligence comprising six components as follows:  A neurophysiological component;  A cognitive/rational component;  An emotional/affective component;  A team/group component;  A societal/ecological component; and  A metaphysical component. The investigation and analyses furthermore indicated that the components do not exist in isolation of one another and each dimension seems of equal significance. The data suggested a parallel process and dynamic interplay between these components and this led to a systemic perspective being adopted when synthesising the model into a logical and coherent framework. Each of the components were critically evaluated from a cognitive and systemic perspective. The systemic perspective proposed challenges the view that performance is not only an individual endeavour but also a systemic endeavour. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Consulting Psychology)

This thesis aims to establish Jessica Powers (1905 – 1988) as a metaphysical poet, to augment the composite definition of metaphysical poetry, and to add two emphases to Christian literary theory. A comprehensive library search on Powers reveals that no scholarly work has been written on her poetry since 2005. A meta-analysis of existing work on Powers demonstrates that the metaphysical aspect of her poetry has not yet been comprehensively examined. Though Powers wrote in a time commonly called ‘post-modern’, my contention is that it would be more accurate to describe her as a metaphysical poet in the traditional sense of that term, as used, for example, of George Herbert (1593 – 1633). I endorse the view that the central theme of all metaphysical poetry is the relation between body and soul (Tanenbaum 2002: 211). It will be seen that this relation is the central concern of Powers’ metaphysical poetry. My close reading of Powers’ work as metaphysical is according to a Christian literary theory which agrees with Hass ‘that the study of the text and textual hermeneutics in the twenty-first century will continue because of a particular resurgence of religion’ (2007: 856). It is augmented by two emphases, a scientific (based on Gallagher’s 2009 study of the neurophysiology of attention), and a philosophical (based on Fromm’s 1976 analysis of the ‘being mode’, and on Buber’s 1947 analysis of attentiveness to the present moment). My study thereby contributes to Christian literary theory. There are one hundred and eighty two poems in The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers. This thesis refers, to greater or lesser extents, to one hundred and seventy six of the poems, and comprehensive examination of their metaphysical aspect is the primary focus of the thesis. My examination of the poems demonstrates that Powers’ poetry can justly be described as metaphysical, which definition of her work serves to highlight an important and hitherto neglected aspect of her work, that she is a metaphysical poet of the finest calibre, and that renewed attention to her work is timely. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English studies)

Geoffrey Hill’s The Orchards of Syon (2002) occupies a contradictory position in twenty-first century poetry in being a major religious work in a post-religious age. Contemporary secular and atheistic insistence on the fundamentally crafted and flawed nature of religious faith has led Hill not to the abandoning of religious vision, but to a theologically disciplined approach to syntax, grammar and etymology. This dissertation examines Hill’s claim to a poetics of agnostic faith that mediate his alienation from a cynical and debased Anglophone contemporaneity. The oxymoronic nature of a faith co-existent with existential loss is the primary focus. The semantic distinction between paradox and poetic oxymoron is examined, and the agonistic and aporetic dimensions of the oxymoron are considered as affording theological significance. Poetic oxymoron as site of both foolish babbling and Pentecostal exuberance is made explicit, as is Hill’s relation to the oxymoronic nature of beatitudinous expression and the Kenotic Hymn. Hill’s reading of and relation to other theologically engaged poets is outlined. Thomas Hardy’s tragic-comic vision, Gerard Manley Hopkins’ restrained rapture in ‘The Windhover’, and T. S. Eliot’s expression of kenotic dissolution in ‘Marina’ are read as precursors to Hill’s revisionary God-language. William Empson’s significant difficulties with aspects of Hopkins’ and Eliot’s poetics is appraised as evidence of an oxymoronic and theological dimension within poetic ambiguity. Hill’s imperative to embody and enact theological vision and responsibility is tested in a reading of The Orchards of Syon. Paul Ricoeur’s perception of the religious significance of atheism is provocation for my own creative practice, as is the performative theology implicit in both Graham Shaw’s hermeneutic approach, and Hill’s visionary philology. Creative process draws on Simone Weil’s notion of decreation, the kenotic paradigm as exemplified in the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the continuing secular vitality of the apostrophic lyric mode.

Through careful analysis of sound in Walden with some attention to related works, this study demonstrates the three major facets of Thoreau's use of sound: first, an unusual aural sensitivity illustrated by his many varied sound images, which add concreteness and experiential immediacy; next, the depth of meaning that sound has as his metaphysical symbol in perception and expression of spiritual truth; finally, his effectiveness with such auditory devices as rhythm, alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia to achieve a poetic quality-. Of equal importance to Thoreau are the sounds of his writing and the sounds in his writing. Realizing the reality, depth, and texture Thoreau gives his prose through his remarkable treatment of sound increases one's appreciation of Walden as art and of Thoreau as literary artist.

Dans cette thèse, je propose une lecture renouvelée de l’itinéraire philosophique d’Hilary Putnam concernant la problématique du réalisme. Mon propos consiste essentiellement à défendre l’idée selon laquelle il y aurait beaucoup plus de continuité, voir une certaine permanence, dans la manière dont Putnam a envisagé la question du réalisme tout au long de sa carrière. Pour arriver à une telle interprétation de son oeuvre, j’ai essentiellement suivi deux filons. D’abord, dans un ouvrage du début des années 2000, Ethics without Ontology (2004), Putnam établit un parallèle entre sa conception de l’objectivité en philosophie des mathématiques et en éthique. Le deuxième filon vient d’une remarque qu’il fait, dans l’introduction du premier volume de ses Philosophical Papers (1975), affirmant que la forme de réalisme qu’il présupposait dans ses travaux des années 1960-1970 était la même que celle qu’il défendait en philosophie des mathématiques et qu’il souhaitait défendre ultérieurement en éthique. En suivant le premier filon, il est possible de mieux cerner la conception générale que se fait Putnam de l’objectivité, mais pour comprendre en quel sens une telle conception de l’objectivité n’est pas propre aux mathématiques, mais constitue en réalité une conception générale de l’objectivité, il faut suivre le second filon, selon lequel Putnam aurait endossé, durant les années 1960-1970, le même type de réalisme en philosophie des sciences et en éthique qu’en philosophie des mathématiques. Suivant cette voie, on se rend compte qu’il existe une similarité structurelle très forte entre le premier réalisme de Putnam et son réalisme interne. Après avoir établi la parenté entre le premier et le second réalisme de Putnam, je montre, en m’inspirant de commentaires du philosophe ainsi qu’en comparant le discours du réalisme interne au discours de son réalisme actuel (le réalisme naturel du commun des mortels), que, contrairement à l’interprétation répandue, il existe une grande unité au sein de sa conception du réalisme depuis les années 1960 à nos jours. Je termine la thèse en montrant comment mon interprétation renouvelée de l’itinéraire philosophique de Putnam permet de jeter un certain éclairage sur la forme de réalisme que Putnam souhaite défendre en éthique. / In this dissertation I propose a new reading of the philosophical itinerary of Hilary Putnam on the matter of realism. In essence, my purpose is to argue that there is much more continuity than is normally understood, and even a degree of permanence, in the way in which Putnam has viewed the question of realism throughout his career. To arrive at this interpretation of Putnam I essentially followed two veins in his work. First, in a volume published in the early 2000s entitled Ethics without Ontology (2004), Putnam establishes a parallel between his conception of objectivity in the philosophy of mathematics and in ethics. The second vein comes from a comment he made in the introduction to the first volume of his Philosophical Papers (1975) to the effect that the kind of realism he presupposed in his work of the 1960s and 70s was the same that he upheld in the philosophy of mathematics and wished to argue for at a later date in ethics. Following the first vein makes it possible to better grasp Putnam’s general conception of objectivity, but in order to understand how such a conception of objectivity is not unique to mathematics but is instead a general conception of objectivity one must follow the second vein. There, in the 1960s and 70s, Putnam adopted the same kind of realism in the philosophy of science and in ethics as he had in the philosophy of mathematics. Following this path, one realises that there exists a very strong structural similarity between Putnam’s first realism and his internal realism. After establishing this connection between Putnam’s first and second realism, I draw on Putnam’s remarks and compare the internal realism discourse to his current realism (the natural realism of ordinary people) to demonstrate, contrary to the prevalent interpretation, that there has been a great deal of consistency in his conception of realism from the 1960s to the present day. I conclude the dissertation by demonstrating how my new interpretation of Putnam’s philosophical itinerary makes it possible to shed light on the kind of realism he wishes to champion in ethics.

Main focus of this thesis is guilt and forgiveness, based on the analysis of the texts of Karl Jaspers (The Question of German Guilt), Anthony J. Steinbock (Moral Emotions: Reclaiming the Evidence of the Heart) and Vladimir Jankélévitch (Forgiveness). The above mentioned topics are followed by analysis of resentment which is closely related to both of these topics. The first part of the thesis is focused on the classification of the guilt, presented by Karl Jaspers, ie. The particular types of guilt are discussed here: the criminal, the political, the moral and the mathaphysical guilt. Following topic is focusing on the collective guilt and related questions. Jaspers' classification of guilt is folowed by Steinbock's analysis of the experence of guilt. Steinbock, in difference form Jaspers, focuses manily on the fundamental features of guilt that is considered as an experience. That presents a good addition to to Jaspers' concept of guilt which does not concern at these questions, or does so only partly. In the next part the topic of repentance, as elaborated by Steinbock, is presented. The repentance is a possible consequence of guilt, has some features in common with guilt, and is condition of possibile forgiveness. The final part of the thesis combines conceptions of both authors aiming not only...

Much has been researched and written on the concept of intelligence in the last century and while much of it has been applied in educational settings and commercial organisations, little has been investigated and applied within a sports context. Early research in the 1970s identified sport intelligence as comprising primarily of reaction time and recall and it was only in 2002, some 30 years later, that it again appeared in the literature with sport intelligence being considered a psychological characteristic of Olympic champions. The research of Gould, Diffenbach and Moffet (2002) into sport intelligence hypothesised that sport intelligence included having “the ability to analyse, being innovative, being a student of the sport, making good decisions, understanding the nature of elite sport, and being a quick learner” (p. 5). Later research by Blue (2009) proposed a comprehensive model of sport intelligence as it applied to golf wherein he posited that sport intelligence – albeit in a golfing context – comprised a ‘competition’ and ‘developmental’ intelligence. Other than the thematic assessment of Gould et al. (2002) and the golf-specific study of Blue (2009) no literature, data or research was available internationally, on the African continent nor in South Africa. The researcher responded to the call for further research and decided to complete a qualitative, exploratory study in South Africa. The research commenced by covering what was available on sport intelligence literature and to build on it by reviewing and considering general intelligence theories. Both orthodox and unorthodox approaches were considered and the review suggested that sport intelligence would conceptually and theoretically consist of a number of dimensions and constructs including a series of cognitive processes like memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision making and other rational processes. The third source of literature was a review of sport psychology and it emphasised the importance and significance of emotional, motivational and other psychological factors in addition to the influences of personality. The literature review led to the researcher identifying 14 hypotheses which were explored with 15 credible sport participants, whereafter a thorough content analysis of the 14 hypotheses was performed. 13 of the 14 initial hypotheses were accepted with one included as a theme within another. The thematic assessment resulted in the identification and development of a systems model of sport intelligence comprising six components as follows:  A neurophysiological component;  A cognitive/rational component;  An emotional/affective component;  A team/group component;  A societal/ecological component; and  A metaphysical component. The investigation and analyses furthermore indicated that the components do not exist in isolation of one another and each dimension seems of equal significance. The data suggested a parallel process and dynamic interplay between these components and this led to a systemic perspective being adopted when synthesising the model into a logical and coherent framework. Each of the components were critically evaluated from a cognitive and systemic perspective. The systemic perspective proposed challenges the view that performance is not only an individual endeavour but also a systemic endeavour. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Consulting Psychology)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T19:59:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre Goncalves Pereira.pdf: 920270 bytes, checksum: b74d5a26245b74e2ce72895710738b72 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research investigates Guimarães Rosa s mythical speech through the construction of the mythical character, according to Campbell s model of the monomyth. The corpus adopted is the short story A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga. It also focuses the sources of the literary creation in which the author got his inspiration to conceive a character that although he symbolizes a man from Brazilian backlands, transcends the documental record, the ascension to the condition of mythical hero through the adventures and the search of the salvation of his soul. We started from the hypothesis of that the construction of the mythical character, according to the diagram of the monomyth, besides being an indelible features of identification of the myth in Rosa s fiction, also clarifies the importance of the metaphysical religious worries of the author about the conception of his work, because the hero of the monomyth shows, during his trajectory, features of rituals of initiation. The aspect of initiation of the trajectory of the mythological hero reveals the holy meaning of the myth of the hero: this one symbolizes the divine potential in human being who only can be developed due to a project of ascetic life and of a heroic ethos. Identifying the archetype of the mythological hero in creation of the character Augusto Matraga, according to the key of reading of the monomyth, we identify the meeting among myth, religion and literature in the work of an author who transcended the documental regionalism, as a result of the creation of the myth of the spiritual asceticism of a character in the heart of the backlands of the North of Minas Gerais / A pesquisa investiga a realização do discurso mítico rosiano por meio da construção da personagem mítica, segundo o modelo campbelliano do monomito. O corpus adotado é o conto A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga. Enfoca, também, as fontes da criação literária em que o autor se inspirou para conceber uma personagem que, a despeito de representar um homem do sertão brasileiro, transcende ao registro documental, ao ascender à condição de herói mítico por meio das peripécias, da trajetória de aventuras e pela busca da salvação de sua alma. Partimos da hipótese de que a construção da personagem mítica, de acordo com o diagrama do monomito, além de ser um traço indelével de identificação do mito na ficção rosiana, também esclarece a importância das preocupações metafísico-religiosas do autor para a concepção de sua obra, pois o herói do monomito apresenta, em sua trajetória, traços de rituais de iniciação. O caráter iniciático da trajetória do herói mitológico revela o sentido sagrado do mito do herói: este emblematiza o potencial divino no ser humano que só pode ser desenvolvido em razão de um projeto de vida ascética e de um ethos heróico. Identificando o modelo arquetípico do herói mitológico na criação da personagem Augusto Matraga, segundo a chave de leitura do monomito, identifica-se o encontro entre mito, religião e literatura na obra de um autor que transcendeu o regionalismo documental, em virtude da criação do mito da ascese espiritual de uma personagem no âmago do sertão norte-mineiro

L’architecte-peintre, scénographe et paysagiste émigré russe André Beloborodoff est un artiste oublié de la première moitié du XXème siècle. Il commence une carrière prestigieuse dans la Saint-Pétersbourg prérévolutionnaire, sous l’égide du renouveau néoclassique. En exil, il a vécu et travaillé à Londres, à Paris et à Rome, où il était connu pour ses vues d’Italie et ses chefs-d’œuvre architecturaux, le château de Caulaincourt en France et la villa Pepoli pour Maurice Sandoz à Rome. L’œuvre extrêmement originale et personnelle est influencée par les divers courants et pays dans lesquels il a vécu : la Russie impériale, la France de l’entre-deux-guerres d’une élite privilégiée, l’Italie artistique fasciste avec le mouvement Novecento mais aussi métaphysique avec ses amis Giorgio De Chirico, Savinio, Dalí et Eugène Berman. L’Italie et le classicisme transcendent son art et son architecture. Il y intègre discrètement la modernité et l’associe au monde surréaliste et onirique. Beloborodoff fait partie d’un petit groupe d’architectes-décorateurs privilégiés au service d’une élite de luxe. Ses égaux sont Emilio Terry, Jean-Charles Moreux, Tomaso Buzzi et Armando Brasini. Eternellement métaphysique, inconnu jusqu’à présent et défendu par Mario Praz, il est un acteur majeur du réalisme magique. / The Russian émigré architect and painter, stage and garden designer André Beloborodoff is a forgotten artist from the first half of the 20th century. Under the aegis of the neoclassical revival he embarked on a prestigious career in pre-revolutionary Saint Petersburg. In exile he lived and worked in London, Paris and Rome, where he became known for his Italian scenes and his architectural masterpieces, the Château de Caulaincourt in France and the Villa Pepoli for Maurice Sandoz in Rome. His highly original and individualistic work was influenced by the various movements and countries within which he lived: Imperial Russia; the inter-war France of a privileged elite; the artistic, fascist Italy by not only the Novecento movement but also the metaphysical movement with his friends Giorgio de Chirico, Savinio, Dalí and Eugène Berman. Italy and classicism perfuse his art and architecture through his subtle blending of modernity into a surrealistic and dreamlike world. Beloborodoff was part of a small group of privileged architects and interior designers working for an extravagant elite. His peers were Emilio Terry, Jean-Charles Moreux, Tomaso Buzzi and Armando Brasini. Eternally metaphysical, as yet unknown and championed by Mario Praz, he is a major protagonist of magical realism.