This thesis is about the perceptual nature of aesthetic experience and the importance of nature as a paradigmatic object of aesthetic perception and aesthetic experience more broadly conceived. For this reason, it merits serious attention by philosophers working in aesthetics, as has been argued since Ronald Hepburn’s seminal essay “Contemporary Aesthetics and the Neglect of Natural Beauty”. If aesthetic experience is anything, it is at least perceptual. It is a mode of perceptual experience that is the result of having been attentive to and having discriminated between, the aesthetic and non-aesthetic, and invites room for reflection on, and connections to be made with, cognitive and emotive processes. Rooting the aesthetic in perception allows us to recognize and understand that it has an impact on our daily activities, rather than being restricted either to a particular kind of object, to the knowledge we might have about it, or to intense, rarefied aesthetic experience. If an object is to be an aesthetic object it need not be an artwork, indeed, one might even argue that nature is more interesting an aesthetic object from the perspective that it is indeterminate, not the result of human intentionality, and from an existential point of view, one that acknowledges our dependence on it. In the course of the argument, I thus resist the idea that the aesthetic experience of art is necessarily prior to the aesthetic experience of nature. The perceptual account put forward is based on a realist account of aesthetic properties that considers aesthetic properties to be perceptual properties and that considers aesthetic experience to be perceptually rich. I link it to the idea of ‘whole formalism’, a perceptual, aesthetic account that is nestled in the wider thought that aesthetic perception relates, although not causally, to other features of experience, such as emotion, and knowledge. Perceptual, aesthetic experience is thus not reduced to an austere account of aesthetic formalism. The thesis begins by analysing historical accounts of aesthetic perception, beginning with Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas. It builds on this analysis by reinterpreting crucial concepts to the discipline of aesthetics, such as disinterest and formalism that originated in the eighteenth century and are relevant to the idea of aesthetic perception. It then brings the idea of aesthetic perception up to date by addressing the current debate about cognitivism and non-cognitivism about aesthetic experience where nature is concerned. By tracing the idea of aesthetic perception historically, I will have also shown the role of nature as a paradigm of aesthetic experience through history and that nature is a repository for rich aesthetic experience and for rich experiential engagement with it.

According to David Lewis’ influential thesis of Humean Supervenience, the world is a plurality of self-contained individuals standing in external relations of spatiotemporal distance. In the last decades, this thesis has been under attack by what I call ‘holistic ontologies’, the most salient of which are Dispositional Essentialism, Ontic Structural Realism, Priority Monism, and Existence Monism. These reactions obey different but closely related suspicions against the central features of Humean Supervenience. On one hand, there are suspicions against the idea of external relations; on the other hand, there are suspicions against the idea of self-contained plurals. Common to these holistic ontologies is to conceive the world not as an externally related heap but, in different degrees of strength, as an ‘internally related whole’. This work, following Bradley’s stance against relations, puts under critical scrutiny the merits of these holistic ontologies. The central aims are to make explicit the different senses of ‘wholeness’ and ‘internal relatedness’ that they happen to endorse; make explicit their internal flaws; and show the relative superiority of Existence Monism. As it happens, Existence Monism vindicates Bradley’s core ideas about relations, namely: that external relations are unable to relate; that internal relations are inherently unstable; and that all relations–external and internal–are better understood as imperfect abstractions from a more substantial, non-relational, kind of unity. I conclude with some skeptical remarks against my own metaphysical preferences and against ontology in general.

M.J. Klein, L. Tisza. / "April 29, 1949." / Bibliography: p. 19-20. / Army Signal Corps Contract No. W36-039-sc-32037 Project No. 102B Dept. of the Army Project No. 3-99-10-022

In organometallic chemistry, metal complexes bearing unsaturated hydrocarbon ligands are of extensive interest, especially the C3H3-M system which includes propargyl (HC¡ÝCCH2-M), allenyl (H2C=C=CH-M), and acetylide (H3CC¡ÝC-M) forms. To study the chemistry of these species on metal surfaces, we used proprargyl bromide (HC¡ÝCCH2-Br) as precursor to produce C3H3(ad) on Ag(111) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The thermal reactions pathway was investigated by Temperature-Programmed Desorption (TPD), and Reflection-Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy (RAIRS). In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to obtain the optimized geometry for the adsorbates, and the computed IR spectra facilitated the vibrational mode assignments. TPD spectra showed that hydrogenation products C3H4 evolved at 310 K and 475 K. However, the desorption peak at 310 K was broad, indicating that more than one species were encompassed. Besides the hydrogenation product, a coupling product C6H6 (2,4-hexadiyne) was also unveiled as part of the desorption feature at 475 K. The identity of the possible C3H4 hydrogenation products (propyne and/or allene) was not discriminable by the mass spectrometry. The problem was circumvented by using £\,£\-dimethyl-substituted propargyl chloride because this dimethyl-substituted species also resulted in hydrogenatioin products around 310 K and 475 K, respectively; and the corresponding allenic and acetylenic end-products are distinguishable by the mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the broad feature at 310 K, in fact, contained both allene (lower temperature) and propyne (higher temperature), whereas the hydrogenation product at 475 K was propyne. The RAIR spectrum at 200 K showed that all C3H3(ad) on Ag(111) readily took on the allenyl form after the C-Br bond scission. It is thus obvious that allene at 310 K was generated by adding one hydrogen to the £\-carbon of the surface allenyl. RAIR spectroscopy revealed a drastic change after annealing the surface to 250 K, where the spectrum was almost identical to that obtained from using propynyl iodide (H3C-C¡ÝC-I) as a direct source for methylacetylide (H3C-C¡ÝC-Ag). Consequently, the products of propyne and 2,4-hexadiyne could be reasoned out.

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We investigated the reactivity of difluorovinylidene groups (C2F2) on Cu(111) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Difluorovinylidene moieties bonded to surface were generated by the dissociative adsorption of 1,1-dibromodifluoroethylene. Temperature Programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection-adsorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) revealed the thermal reaction pathways, and a variety of intermediates were identified or inferred. The major desorption product, hexafluoro-2-butyne (C4F6), was detected at 445 K. It invokes a step of fluoride addition to difluorovinylidene to render the intermediacy of C2F3. However, differences exist when the vibration data from F + C=CF2 were compared with those from C−CF3 and CF=CF2 in previous literature, implying that the form is neither ethylidyne nor vinyl. Based on the concept of fluorine hyperconjugation, density function theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to obtain two transition states, quasi-vinyl and -ethylidyne, which can account for the differences present in the IR spectra. The relative thermal stability follows the trend of vinyl > quasi-ethylidyne > quasi-vinyl > vinylidene > ethylidyne suggested by IR and DFT calculations. Finally, the end product, CF3C¡ÝCCF3, might be formed by coupling of two quasi-ethylidyne species via the partial allenic forms.

This thesis explores issues in aesthetics with reference to Bergson. The first chapter outlines and assesses Bergson's interesting and subtle theory of humour, which emphasises the necessary lack of sympathy in humour, and its generalising, external methodology. In doing so it explores the different ways the motif of 'something encrusted on the living' functions on various levels. This is ultimately found to be an interesting account which has many merits. The second chapter then begins to outline the theoretical structure of Bergson's account of humour in terms of vertical and horizontal movement. This leads to an account of Bergson's critique of 'ordinary' conceptual language and a consideration of other alternatives, including metaphor. The third chapter discusses Bergson's notion of intuition and levels of interpretation - assessing what, if any, relation there is between Russian Formalism and Bergson's own understanding of poetry. The notion of levels helps to define Bergson's anti-modernism, when modernism is understood as the self-referential exposure of the art work's own conditions of possibility. The fourth chapter examines several art forms. Music is discussed in some detail with particular attention being paid to the distinction between rhythm and melody, notions of repetition, creativity and difference. A comparison it then made between Bergson's thoughts on evolution and melodic creativity. This discussion is of importance not only for the light it casts on aesthetic issues, but also because music, or more specifically melody, is often given as an example of the heterogeneous continuity of duration. The thesis also examines painting, particularly in relation to duration, comparing it with photography. Bergson's arguments against cinema are then discussed. The thesis also examines how the role of sympathy functions in artistic production generally. Finally Bergson's ability to distinguish between art and philosophy is examined referring back to notions of self-reflexivity in art.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-01T22:29:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_8254_Dissertação Everson Souza -mestrado.pdf: 28342943 bytes, checksum: 624a7fea535603211d8475809590baa3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-30 / Neste trabalho, a estabilidade energética, propriedades eletrônicas e estruturais de camadas de grafeno adsorvidas em superfície Cu(111) foram examinadas através de cálculos de primeiros princípios baseados na teoria do funcional da densidade (DFT). Nós examinamos a adsorção em superfície Cu(111) de (i) monocamada de grafeno sem defeitos (G) e bicamada de grafeno sem defeitos (BLG), (ii) bicamada de grafeno com defeito substitucional de átomo de Co. Em (i) foram consideradas três diferentes possíveis configurações para formação das interfaces. A partir de nossos resultados foi encontrado que a formação das interfaces G/Cu(111) e BLG/Cu(111) são processos exotérmicos, com energia de adsorção de 35,3 meV/Å2 e 39,2 meV/Å2 para as configurações mais estáveis, respectivamente. Além disso, nós encontramos para bicamada de grafeno em Cu(111) uma distância de equilíbrio entre o metal e a camada de grafeno interfacial de 2,89 Å, idêntico ao valor para monocamada. Assim, estes resultados indicam que a adsorção de G e BLG em Cu(111) é guiada por uma adsorção física. Além disso, a formação das interfaces G/Cu(111) e BLG/Cu(111) dá origem a flutuações de densidade de carga e a monocamada e bicamada de grafeno em Cu(111) são n-dopadas. Conforme verificado por análise de Bader, existe uma transferência de carga da superfície de cobre para G e para BLG de 0,0062 e/Å2 e 0,0058 e/Å2, respectivamente. Em (ii) estudou-se inicialmente defeitos substitucionais de átomos de Co na camada superior da BLG em dois sítios atômicos diferentes (sistemas BLG-Coα e BLG-Coβ), sem a presença do substrato de metal. Neste caso, nossos resultados tem indicado que existe um momento magnético total não-nulo nos sistemas BLG-Coα e BLG-Coβ. Em seguida, considerando a adsorção do sistema BLG-Coβ na superfície Cu(111), nós encontramos que a formação da interface BLG-Coβ/Cu(111) é um processo exotérmico, com energia de adsorção de 40,1 meV/Å2. Apesar de não existir ligação química na interface grafeno-metal ou aumento significativo da energia de adsorção, o momento magnético total do sistema BLG-Coβ é extinto quando adsorvido no substrato de cobre, devido principalmente à transferência de carga do Cu(111) para BLG-Coβ .

This thesis has four primary aims. Firstly, I develop an account of Adorno’s critique of Kant and Hegel’s philosophy. I argue that the role and structure of judgement is key to his critical analysis. Adorno's discussion of their metaphysics, epistemology revolves around an immanent critique of judgement. This critique reveals, in the dialectical sense, the irreducibility of the 'negative moment' within judgement. This critical exposition grounds the second aim of the thesis. Analysis of Kant and Hegel's philosophies enables us to discern a number of key concepts in Adorno's own thought, concepts which will help us to understand his notion of negativity. In particular, his dialectical critique produces a constellation of critical - or negative - dialectical concepts: conceptless [begriffslose], non-identity [Nichtidentität], mediation [Vermittlung]. The generation of these concepts and their elucidation provides the basis for the third aim: to give a textually viable and philosophically fruitful explanation of key commitments in Adorno’s negative dialectics. I argue that negative dialectics does not amount to a system, a standpoint, or even a set of principles. Rather, it is a critical activity. The commitments, which revolve around the constellation of concepts outlined above, indicate a critical sensitivity to the limits of epistemology and metaphysics and the problem that these limits pose for judgement. Finally, I develop the resources to answer Michael Rosen’s claim that Adorno’s rejection of Hegelian determinate negation leaves his dialectics without any dynamic force. Drawing upon aesthetics, we can better understand the dynamics of negative dialectics. Aesthetic engagement with artworks not only demonstrates an appropriate orientation of philosophy to material, it is also an appropriate medium through which we can gain a clearer understanding of the philosophical commitments elucidated above.

In this work a reversible transition between CeO2/Cu(111) and Ce2O3/Cu(111) was studied by metalic ceria evaporation and oxygen exposition. Prepared layers were characterised by XPS, ISS (and its angle resolved modification), LEED and XPD combined with computer modelling using EDAC code. Four reconstructi- on were identified within the transition - ( √ 7 × √ 7)R19.1◦ , ( √ 3 × √ 3)R30◦ , 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 - for which structural models were suggested. Prepared layers of Ce2O3/Cu(111) exhibiting the 4×4 reconstruction were identified as a cubic pha- se of Ce2O3 by the combination of all methods. The photoelectron spectroscopy study of the chemical state of layers revealed that reduction proceedes from the surface and oxidation is realised by oxygen diffusion into the volume.