I denna studie undersöks hur undervisningen om religion och vetenskap i religionskunskap 1 på gymnasiet kan vara konstruerad i klassrumspraktiken, det vill säga vad som presenteras angående förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap, samt vad som sker i interaktionen mellan läraren och eleverna. Studien bygger på observationer av en klass och deras lärare under momentet religion och vetenskap. Observationerna har därefter analyserats med hjälp av diskursanalys. Resultatet visar två diskurser, vilka jag kallar för en sekularistisk rationell diskurs, samt en källkritisk diskurs. I den sekularistiskt rationella diskursen framgick det att relationen mellan religion och vetenskap presenterades på ett relativistiskt vis. Den relativistiska undervisningen triggade ett rationalistiskt tankesätt, vilket grundade sig i en sekularistisk syn på religion. Detta resulterade i att religionen framstod i underläge i förhållande till vetenskapen, vilket orsakade att religiösa livsåskådningar beskrevs utifrån ett ”dom”, medan sekulariserade beskrevs utifrån ”man”. I den källkritiska diskursen betonades kritiskt tänkande och källkritik, trots detta var den sekularistiskt rationella diskursen dominerande i klassrumspraktiken. Vidare visar resultatet att den sekularistiskt rationella diskursen kan undvikas om förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap sätts i en historisk kontext, samt om undervisningen anpassas efter de kontextuella villkoren i klassen, vilket i detta fall var att eleverna hade en sekularistisk syn på religion. En annan lösning är att presentera olika perspektiv på kunskap, som till exempel ontologiska och epistemologiska ansatser, vilka följaktligen kan utmana elevernas syn på religion respektive vetenskap.

O debate atual sobre a racionalidade científica tem envolvido uma tomada de posição quanto ao relativismo epistemológico. Um dos focos do debate consiste na superação do relativismo presente em pronunciamentos de Thomas Kuhn sobre a escolha científica. Procurando libertar-se de um relativismo kuhniano nas justificações de escolhas científicas, Hilary Putnam e Larry Laudan apresentam estratégias bastante distintas. Putnam vê incoerências autodestrutivas em tal relativismo, especialmente por duas razões: sua formulação seria auto-refutante e, quanto aos atributos cognitivos, essa posição não permitiria distinguir o homem de qualquer outro ser. Laudan procurou desmistificar os efeitos que a incomensurabilidade kuhniana teria causado para uma visão de racionalidade dirigida por regras metodológicas e, além disso, buscou mostrar a falta de poder explicativo do relativismo decorrente dela. O presente trabalho investiga se ainda há razão para considerar que o relativismo gerado pela incomensurabilidade kuhniana constitui uma ameaça à racionalidade científica. Apresentamos um modelo kuhniano de racionalidade, com base em uma análise dos textos de Kuhn sobre a escolha de paradigmas, que ressalta o papel da incomensurabilidade de problemas e padrões científicos. Procuramos mostrar que duas das principais acusações de incoerência, elaboradas por Putnam, não atingem tal modelo. Por fim, defendemos que esse modelo kuhniano de racionalidade apresenta várias restrições para o efetivo estabelecimento das críticas que Laudan lhe dirige. / The current debate on scientific rationality has involved taking sides regarding the question of epistemological relativism. The debate is focused, among other things, in overcoming the relativism present in Thomas Kuhns statements about scientific choice. Hilary Putnam and Larry Laudan, aiming at dispensing with a Kuhnian relativism in the justification of scientific choices, propose quite different strategies. Putnam sees self-destructive incoherencies in such relativism, mainly for two reasons: first, its formulation would be self-defeating and, second, this position wouldnt allow one to distinguish man from any other being as regards cognitive attributes. Laudan attempted to demystify the effects that Kuhnian incommensurability could cause to a vision of rationality governed by methodological rules, and, furthermore, attempted to show the lack of explanatory power of the relativism that follows from it. The present work inquires whether there is still reason to consider that the relativism originated by Kuhnian incommensurability constitutes a menace to scientific rationality. We present a Kuhnian model of rationality, based on an analysis of Kuhns texts on paradigm choice, which highlights the role of incommensurability as regards scientific problems and standards. We aim to show that two of the main charges of incoherence, formulated by Putnam, arent able to affect the model. Lastly, we maintain that this Kuhnian model of rationality poses various constraints on the actual establishment of the criticisms directed against it by Laudan.

This thesis examines international feminist activism from the late nineteenth century to the present. In particular it focuses on the campaigns against forms of sexual slavery including child marriage. It examines the male sex right as a major cause of sexual exploitation and it investigates claims that similarities between trafficking children into the institutions of marriage and prostitution reflect the power of heteropatriarchy in governing the social model of heterosexuality and the ensuing subordination of women and girls. It argues that challenging sexual exploitation is difficult because of the social acceptance of men’s right of sexual access to women and girls. / This thesis examines the ways in which the ideologies of cultural relativism and sexual libertarianism protect the concept of ‘conjugal rights’ in systems of traditional marriage. It introduces the theory of sexual relativism in order to explain how cultural relativism works in relation to child marriage. Sexual relativism as a corollary of cultural relativism is used as a feminist tool of analysis in order to make the male sex right visible and politically accountable. / Lesbian historiography is introduced in order to document the role of lesbian experience in the lives and networks of these international activists. The inclusion of lesbian existence in this thesis is a unique approach intended to restore historical accuracy to the lives of women who have been involved in international campaigns against forms of sexual exploitation that include child marriage, child prostitution, incest, and other harmful cultural practices. I discuss how lesbians and spinsters, as unhusbanded women, experienced freedom from domestic duties including child care and the sexual servicing of men. Their ensuing independence enabled them to become involved in political work and by forming networks they were able to discuss and formulate their ideas. I explore the relationship between the personal and political in the examination of these women’s lives. In particular I examine the lesbian existence within the political and friendship networks of interwar feminists such as Eleanor Rathbone, Constance Antonina (Nina) Boyle, Alison Neilans, Cicely Hamilton, Katharine Furse and Margaret Haig. The radical feminist approach to this inquiry is intended to contribute to filling gaps in the knowledge base of feminist history and to broaden the transdisciplinary approach to international scholarship.

O debate atual sobre a racionalidade científica tem envolvido uma tomada de posição quanto ao relativismo epistemológico. Um dos focos do debate consiste na superação do relativismo presente em pronunciamentos de Thomas Kuhn sobre a escolha científica. Procurando libertar-se de um relativismo kuhniano nas justificações de escolhas científicas, Hilary Putnam e Larry Laudan apresentam estratégias bastante distintas. Putnam vê incoerências autodestrutivas em tal relativismo, especialmente por duas razões: sua formulação seria auto-refutante e, quanto aos atributos cognitivos, essa posição não permitiria distinguir o homem de qualquer outro ser. Laudan procurou desmistificar os efeitos que a incomensurabilidade kuhniana teria causado para uma visão de racionalidade dirigida por regras metodológicas e, além disso, buscou mostrar a falta de poder explicativo do relativismo decorrente dela. O presente trabalho investiga se ainda há razão para considerar que o relativismo gerado pela incomensurabilidade kuhniana constitui uma ameaça à racionalidade científica. Apresentamos um modelo kuhniano de racionalidade, com base em uma análise dos textos de Kuhn sobre a escolha de paradigmas, que ressalta o papel da incomensurabilidade de problemas e padrões científicos. Procuramos mostrar que duas das principais acusações de incoerência, elaboradas por Putnam, não atingem tal modelo. Por fim, defendemos que esse modelo kuhniano de racionalidade apresenta várias restrições para o efetivo estabelecimento das críticas que Laudan lhe dirige. / The current debate on scientific rationality has involved taking sides regarding the question of epistemological relativism. The debate is focused, among other things, in overcoming the relativism present in Thomas Kuhns statements about scientific choice. Hilary Putnam and Larry Laudan, aiming at dispensing with a Kuhnian relativism in the justification of scientific choices, propose quite different strategies. Putnam sees self-destructive incoherencies in such relativism, mainly for two reasons: first, its formulation would be self-defeating and, second, this position wouldnt allow one to distinguish man from any other being as regards cognitive attributes. Laudan attempted to demystify the effects that Kuhnian incommensurability could cause to a vision of rationality governed by methodological rules, and, furthermore, attempted to show the lack of explanatory power of the relativism that follows from it. The present work inquires whether there is still reason to consider that the relativism originated by Kuhnian incommensurability constitutes a menace to scientific rationality. We present a Kuhnian model of rationality, based on an analysis of Kuhns texts on paradigm choice, which highlights the role of incommensurability as regards scientific problems and standards. We aim to show that two of the main charges of incoherence, formulated by Putnam, arent able to affect the model. Lastly, we maintain that this Kuhnian model of rationality poses various constraints on the actual establishment of the criticisms directed against it by Laudan.

The minority rights paradox is articulated at the level of political theory, is deployed by liberal democratic institutions, and can be observed in the political discourse of mass communications. Minority groups, it is argued, are paradoxically claiming purported rights that are unsupported by the values upon which the claimants base their claim. On the one hand, minority claims are made on the basis of rights secured by a liberal democracy; on the other hand, the claims undermine the legitimacy of liberal reasoning—the same reasoning that legitimizes the rights on which the claims are made. The self-referential implications of this paradox are as follows: Either the minority claim negates its own justification or the underlying justification renders the claim moot. In either case, the charge of paradox effectively puts an end to the conversation by dismissing minority rights claims before they are properly understood. My aim is to first, come to terms with political dialogues in which the charge of paradox occurs and second, to overcome the stultifying effects of the minority rights paradox through a deliberative approach to negotiating the concept and content of minority rights claims. Evaluating the claims of minorities, I will argue, requires a dialogue that can adapt to the participants in the dialogue—an inclusive deliberative process that gives formal, procedural and substantive recognition to the worldviews of minority cultures in political decision-making.

Society ‘obscures itself’ by presenting a world that is self-contained and logical (Barthes, 1973) – a world underpinned by a transparency of its underlying systems of meaning. This formulation maps the theoretical location of the dissertation, by which an investigation into tourism, as an economic and political expression of contemporary culture, occurs. More specifically, the dissertation addresses the type of tourism that bisects narratives of history and of cultures – that popularly described under the label of cultural tourism. Thus it employs an array of critical tourism and cultural theory, to offer an exposition on how best to understand the articulation of meaning in the consumption of ‘place’, formations of heritage and Otherness. The study also explores the epistemological nature/agendas of the so-called ‘Image of Africa’ and the ‘Absolute Other’, and how these are recycled in the parameters of modernity. Using a genealogical approach to studying discursive formations articulating some kind of Zulu Otherness, the dissertation grounds these conventions of identity predominantly in the symbolic practice of a colonial Western society. This exposes the arbitrary, constructed nature by which contemporary society governs itself. Methodologically, the research applies participant observation and semiotic analyses, predominantly in the cultural/filmic village of Shakaland, near Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, to explore how the constructions of identity manifest and are negotiated and consumed in the activity of this tourism. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2011.

Héritier des présocratiques et des conceptions homériques sur la valeur du discours, Protagoras place l'homme au centre d'un monde en devenir constant, dans lequel la connaissance du kairos guide la production discursive comme l'action.La reconstruction de la pensée de Protagoras d'Abdère requiert d'abord de le situer dans son contexte historique pour dégager les tensions qui existent parmi les intellectuels de l'époque au sujet des trois éléments qui permettent cette reconstruction : le discours (logos), l'action (pragma, chrèma, praxis), le temps (chronos, kairos).Les aspects gnoséologiques et ontologiques sont soulignés dans la doctrine de l'homo mensura. La position de Protagoras relativement à la valeur du logos insiste sur l'importance des éléments relatifs à chaque situation pour la détermination de ce qui est prédiqué au moment de sa prédication. L'aspect éthique est, à son tour, déterminé par cette réalité humaine. Si une axiologie est possible elle doit nécessairement dériver de l'expérience (askesis) de l'homme et être adéquate aux besoins et aux objectifs de la société dans laquelle il se trouve.Deux facteurs déterminent principalement l'homme : la réalité sociale en perpétuel devenir et l'expérience particulière des individus soumise elle aussi au devenir en sorte que selon Protagoras l'homme se construit constamment dans une double dimension temporelle, diachronique et synchronique.L'influence des positions du sophiste sur les philosophes (Platon et Aristote) comme sur les orateurs (Isocrate) postérieurs à Protagoras confirme la reconstruction de la pensée de l'Abdéritain. / The legacy of the presocratic and homeric thinking is present in Protagoras' conception of language. He places man in the center of a world constantly changing, in which knowledge of kairos is a guide for discursive production, as well as for action. The reconstruction of the thinking or Protagoras of Abdera requires to place it in its historical context to understund the tensions among the intellectuals of his time. This reconstruction will be done in three axis: speech (logos), action (pragma, praxis), time (chronos, kairos). The epistemological and ontological aspects are emphasized in the doctrine of man-mesure. Protagoras' position on the value of logos stresses the importance of situational factors to determine what is properly predicated. Man is also determined by two other variables: the social reality in constant evolution and the specific experience of individual subjects. Protagoras thinks that man builts this reality in a double temporal dimension: diachronic and synchronic. We can confirm our conclusions in the thought of later philosophers (Plato and Aristotle) and orators (Isocrates).

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar os argumentos apresentados por Bloor a favor de uma sociologia da matemática. Nesta perspectiva, cabe identificar no contexto sociocultural os aspectos imanentes e transcendentes que relacionam os objetos que constituem o conhecimento matemático com as práticas sociais. Investiremos, num primeiro momento, na leitura crítica dos três últimos capítulos do livro Knowledge and Social Imagery de David Bloor. O livro se propõe a uma investigação da natureza e conteúdo do conhecimento científico através do chamado programa forte em sociologia. Pretende-se confrontar as hipóteses e os argumentos dos autores que participam do debate e ao final apresentar alguma contribuição para a Filosofia da Educação Matemática. Um ponto que considero relevante tratar nesse trabalho é a orientação relativista sugerida pela proposta de Bloor, alvo das críticas mais pungentes. O caminho (método) que melhor se adequa a essa nossa intenção é a discussão crítica entre os autores, fundamentada apenas em fontes bibliográficas. Não é fruto de uma pesquisa empírica, mas de um exercício de reflexão de cunho teórico. Temos alguns indícios da possível relação da matemática com as questões socioculturais: o fenômeno da difusão cultural, a existência de certas práticas universais tais como contar, medir, jogar, localizar, etc, a concepção de que certos imperativos universais da matemática são constituídos a partir de formas de vida que participam de um jogo de linguagem, etc.. Seja qual for a explicação que relacione a matemática com as questões socioculturais, há conceitos que ultrapassam a simples determinação social. Nosso trabalho demonstra que esses conceitos existem, e embora divirjam da posição de David Bloor, não impossibilitam a existência de uma sociologia da matemática. / The purpose of this work is to make an analysis about the arguments in favour of a mathematics sociology. In order to reach this aim, it is necessary to identify the immanent and transcendent aspects in the cultural social context which make a relationship of the objects that form mathematical knowledge with social practices. Firstly, we are going to make a critical reading of three last chapters of \"Knowledge and Social Imagery\" by David Bloor. This book aims to investigate nature and contents of scientific knowledge by the so called Strong Program in Sociology whose principles include causality, impartiality, symmetry and reflexivity. The last three chapters are destined to mathematics. Secondly, we will make a confrontation between the hypothesis and the authors\' arguments in favour and against Bloor\'s outlook. Eventually, we will present some contributions to Mathematical Education Philosophy. Therefore, the way (method) that better suits to our purpose is the critical discussion among authors, based on bibliographical sources only. This is not result of empirical research, but a theoretical character reflexion. There are some elements of possible relationship between mathematics and cultural and social aspects: the cultural diffusion phenomenon, certain universal practices such as counting, measuring, playing, searching, etc, the understanding that certain universal mathematical imperatives are formed from living forms that participate in a language game, etc.. Whatever is the explanation that makes a relationship between mathematics and social cultural questions, there are concepts go beyond any social determination. Our task is to demonstrate that such concepts exists, and although they differ from David Bloor´s outlook, they do not make impossible the existence of a mathematics sociology.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:20:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 27 / Nenhuma / Esta pesquisa reúne subsídios doutrinários direcionados aos operadores do direito ou pesquisadores, especialmente àqueles que operam ou pesquisam sobre o tema direitos humanos, haja vista que demonstra a importância de se discutir o tema e buscar o entendimento de sua fundamentação. O trabalho aponta os principais marcos históricos que construíram, ao longo anos, as bases dos direitos humanos. Trabalha a questão dos ideais universalista e relativista, como forma de fundamentação dos mesmos e lança-se ao estudo de diversos temas ligados aos direitos humanos, tais como cultura, globalização, tolerância, identidades, sociedade cosmopolita, multiculturalismo entre outros. Demonstra os diversos estudos referentes aos textos humanistas formados a partir do pós-guerra (II Guerra-Mundial), bem como trilha os movimentos que levaram às grandes revoluções do século XVIII, como o racionalismo e o constitucionalismo. Analisa o fenômeno mundial da globalização e como tem influenciado o campo dos direitos humanos. Apresenta / This investigation gathers doctrinal subsidies directed to both law operators and investigators, especially those who operate and investigate on human rights, since it shows the importance of discussing this issue and looking for its fundamentality understanding. This paper points to the main historical marks which contributed for the fundamentals of human rights. It deals with the issue of universality and relativism ideals, as a way to fundament both of them and studies several issues related to human rights like culture, globalization, tolerance, identities, cosmopolitan society and multiculturalism among others. This work shows several studies related to humanist texts built since World War II, as well as it follows movements which led to great revolutions in the XVIII century such as rationalism and constitutionalism. It analyzes the world phenomenon of globalization and how it influences human rights; presents the difference between culture and identity; points to the main declarations of human rights

O uso de técnicas matemáticas está crescendo na maioria das disciplinas das ciências sociais, principalmente na Economia, e os defensores da matematização geralmente tentam legitimar este processo a partir da suposta neutralidade axiológica da matemática, argumentando, sob influência positivista, que a linguagem matemática deve ser a própria linguagem da ciência. Este trabalho se opõe a tal concepção, rejeitando a possibilidade de neutralidade da matemática e demonstrando que a matemática pode contribuir apenas de maneira muito limitada para a compreensão de processos históricos. Argumentamos que modelos matemáticos são incapazes de descrever a origem, o desenvolvimento ou declínio de relações sociais, sendo útil apenas como descrição de padrões quantitativos entre eventos quando as relações sociais estão estáveis. Daí resulta que, em teorias sociais matematicamente formuladas, tenha-se por objetivo desenvolver uma coleção de modelos, um para cada circunstância. As transformações sociais, mesmo as menores, ficam fora do foco das teorias assim desenvolvidas. Por último, argumentamos que o crescimento da utilização da matemática está diretamente associado à rejeição da ontologia que ocorre no positivismo, de modo que a explicação da matematização, ao menos em linhas gerais, é a mesma para a difusão das idéias positivistas / The use of mathematical techniques is increasing in most disciplines of social sciences, especially in Economics, and the mathematizations supporters usually try to legitimize this process from the supposedly axiological neutrality of Mathematics, arguing, under positivist influence, that the mathematical language should be the very language of science. This study opposes itself to this conception, rejecting the possibility of mathematical neutrality and demonstrating that Mathematics can help only in a very limited way to the comprehension of historical processes. We sustain that mathematical models are unable to describe the origin, development or decline of social relations, being useful, if so, only as description of quantitative patterns of events when social relations stay stable. It follows that social theories mathematically formulated have the objective of developing a collection of models, one for each circumstance. Social changes, even the smallest, are outside the focus of the theories so developed. Finally, we argue that the increased use of mathematics is directly associated with the positivist rejection of ontology, so the explanation for the mathematization, at least in outline, is the same for the dissemination of positivist ideas.